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| USA Today |
- Isaiah Pead's knee gave way on him on the Rams' first kickoff return and it is believed he tore an ACL. An MRI on the knee was scheduled for today. This more than likely closes the books on the Rams' botched third pick of the second round in 2012. A promising college player at Cincinnati, Pead never clicked for the Rams at RB or as a returner. The mental part of the game did not seem to come easily to him, he did not protect the ball well as a runner, he got into Jeff Fisher's (seemingly very, very small) doghouse and got into trouble off the field. It wasn't for lack of effort, but some people don't have the makeup needed to make it in the NFL, and Isaiah Pead is one of those guys. He'll spend this year on I.R. and attempt a comeback in training camp next year, but I don't know why he'll make it in 2015 after a year of rehab when he really didn't deserve to make this team in 2014. Best of luck to you, Isaiah, always keep fighting, but I'd use the time off the field here to get ready for the next stage of my adult life in your shoes.
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| ESPN |
- And as long as we're talking about blown draft picks, Jeff Fisher first let the word out today that 2013 fourth-round pick Barrett Jones had back surgery LAST WEEK (thanks for the timely news on that, everyone) and is likely to miss "significant time" this season. Jones was one of the best linemen in the country, at three different positions, at Alabama, but why did he fall to the 4th round in 2013? Injuries. He was frequently hurt at Alabama, missed most of his first season here due to a Lisfranc injury he got with the Tide, and before he could even take the field in anger this season, he's down again. Injuries were the risk any team would have taken in drafting Jones, and it's backfired on the Rams. Hey, I thought he was a great pick, too. Thought he was worth the injury risk. I would also have bet wrong. (I also liked Pead, too, so maybe I should just give up the "shadow GM" gig.) Jones may be able to contribute here in 2015, but the odds seem much better that he'll injure or re-injure something else and he'll end up stepping away from the game. He's a very gifted young man who doesn't need football to be successful.
Obviously no word yet on how the Rams plan to fill the two roster vacancies that have just unwelcomely popped up here. In Les Snead's shoes, I'd be looking for any two offensive linemen with a pulse this afternoon.
Pead's injury probably locks down a roster spot for Chris Givens as the main kickoff returner, and could open up an opportunity for Trey Watts at RB, though Chase Reynolds remains the favorite for RB3/RB4 and should have beaten Pead out anyway as a special teams specialist. Jones' injury probably locks down a roster spot for Mike Person and leaves the Rams stuck with Tim Barnes at center when Scott Wells inevitably goes down again. Looks like that will be a position to watch for in free agency and the 2015 draft.
Update from Jeff Fisher's press conference: Pead is officially out for the season but Fisher is only ruling Jones out for the rest of preseason, a big step back from what the NFL Network crawl says. Demetrius Rhaney will also miss "some time" due to an injury (knee, iirc) suffered this week in practice.
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