Rams sign Chauncey Washington

The Rams have signed RB Chauncey Washington off the Jets' practice squad. He fills the spot made available when Dominique Curry had to be placed on IR.

The Chauncey Washington file:
25 years old, 5'11", 224

Drafted in 2008 by Jacksonville in the 7th round. He played for Dallas in 2009 and was signed off their practice squad by the Jets at the end of the season. He has just 4 career carries for 9 yards, and one reception for 9 yards, all in 2008.

2009 Preseason:
Game 1 vs. NY Giants - played, no stats
Game 2 vs. Carolina - 8 carries for 19 yards, lost a fumble
Game 3 vs. Washington - played, no stats
Game 4 vs. Philadelphia - 12 carries, 56 yards
He led the Jagwires in rushing and receiving in the 2008 preseason.

Washington played college ball at Southern Cal and led the team in rushing his final two seasons. He was academically ineligible in 2004 and was redshirted. He was academically ineligible again in 2005 and lost his scholarship. He got his grades back up in 2006 but was slowed by a hamstring injury. He had year-long problems with a stress fracture in his ankle his freshman year. He rushed for 969 yards (5.0 ypc) in 2007 and was an all-Pac 10 honorable mention despite further academic concerns and an injury that cost him the opening game. He majored in sociology.

NFL.com's report from Washington's pro day in '08: 36" vertical, 9'11" broad jump, 4.58 short shuttle, 7.53 3-cone, 18 bench presses. NFL says he ran 4.45 and 4.45 in the 40. That's impressive. Except it's apparently a typo. Countless reports say he ran a 4.35.

Scouting report: Hard runner and big hitter on special teams. Considered good special teams player, so he's probably here as much because Chris Chamberlain and Dominique Curry are hurt as he is because Steven Jackson is hurting. Has a (good kind of) chip on his shoulder because he feels he should have made the Jets' main roster. Powerful like a bigger back, shifty like a smaller back. Big and physical, can pound the ball inside but can be a good receiver out of the backfield. Wasn't thrown to often, though. Good running technique. Keeps going forward after contact. Secure ball handler. Not a slasher, marginal outside speed. Not a good instinctive runner. Won't make people miss. Has had lower leg injuries throughout his career.

Compares to: Tim Hightower, drafted a couple of rounds ahead of Chauncey in '08.

Fun fact: More interesting than fun: Chauncey's legs were paralyzed for a week when he was nine years old but doctors never figured out the cause. He says he started running faster after he got out of the hospital.

The Rams probably wouldn't have signed Washington off a practice squad had Curry not gotten hurt; now, they add on a good, needed special teams guy and nice depth at RB. Washington's measurables pretty much beat either of the other Rams backup RBs'. He not only gets back on an NFL roster, he finds a situation where he could contribute right away and have a spot in a team's future plans. He'll certainly stiffen the competition at backup RB next summer should he be here long enough. Great timing for both sides of this deal.

Photo - Fox Sports

Rams notes, 9/28

Winning over the Redskins Sunday didn't offer the Rams any relief on the injury front:

* Steven Jackson, of course, is the highest-profile injury, having incurred a strained groin when the Redskins tried to pull his leg off in the 2nd quarter Sunday. His status is day-to-day.

* Also at RB, Keith Toston has a sprained shoulder but is expected to be able to play Sunday.

* And Mike Karney injured a thumb and will be playing with a cast. Not one of those cool clubs, though. Too bad.

* Dominique Curry tore an ACL while covering a punt and has gone on season-ending IR.

* O.J. Atogwe missed the second half after re-aggravating what's described as a thigh injury when Santana Moss hit him with a dirty block. Steve Spagnuolo is hopeful that he'll be able to go against Seattle. Consider him day-to-day.

* Darian Stewart is day-to-day due to a hamstring injury. Ironic how the Rams have so many injuries at the position of "safety".

Injury updates:
* Craig Dahl, still out indefinitely due to concussion. He passed a test yesterday, and if he passes another with an independent doctor today, he can return to practice Thursday.
* Billy Bajema, out 1-3 weeks, sprained MCL.
* Michael Hoomanawanui, 4-6 weeks, high ankle sprain.
* Chris Chamberlain, 4-6 weeks, broken/turf toe.
All of the previous three players are said to be progressing well.
* Darell Scott, 5-7 weeks, high ankle sprain.
* Cliff Ryan was inactive Sunday and remains out indefinitely due to migraines. Ryan is hopeful again this week that he'll be cleared to play.

On the mend:
* Laurent Robinson was out Sunday due to a foot injury but is said to be making good progress. Funny how Brandon Gibson actually getting open a few times will do that to a guy.
* Daniel Fells, Justin King and Rodger Saffold all appeared to play without incident Sunday and come off the injury list, as will Kevin Dockery (below).

* Transactions: The Rams cut Kevin Dockery Saturday in order to call Jermelle Cudjo up from the practice squad. Then today, they re-signed Dockery and waived Marquis Johnson, who appears headed back to the practice squad.

The Rams filled Curry's roster spot by signing RB Chauncey Washington off the Jets practice squad.

* Viva Las Vegas: The Seahawks opened as 1.5-point favorites for Sunday's game, but the line has already moved down to 1. Over/under is 38.5. Don't ask me; I clearly have no idea. Take the Redskins all day, indeed.

* Not a sellout: 8,000 tickets remain for the game Sunday.

Rams quick notes, 9/24

* Sunday's game against Washington will be shown on local TV, though I'm sure it will be far from an actual sellout. KTVI-2, 3:00.

* Craig Dahl did not pass a concussion test yesterday. To play Sunday he will have to pass one today and another on Saturday with an independent doctor. Starting to look doubtful he will play.

* 15 yards on the NFL for piling on: the league fined Dahl $2,500 for chop blocking in the Oakland game. Rolando McClain was fined $5,000 for his slam on Danny Amendola. I originally tabbed that as a spinebuster, but on further review, it looks more like a Rock Bottom. (I don't know why the pictures don't line up, other than BLOGGER SUCKS.)

Spinebuster	Rock Bottom	15-yard penalty

Update: Dahl and Ryan are listed as doubtful for Sunday, along with Laurent Robinson. Fendi Onobun should be active for the game, along with Jermelle Cudjo.

Sports entertainment photos from wwe.com

Rams quick notes, 9/23

* Transactions. QB Thaddeus Lewis cleared waivers and was added to the Rams practice squad earlier in the week.

* Attempted transactions. The Rams did make an offer to outcast San Diego WR Vincent Jackson, but according to John Clayton, Stan Kroenke pulled the Rams out of the running after news of Braylon Edwards' DUI got out. (Seattle also quit going after Jackson on the Edwards news.) Jackson, of course, is currently suspended by the league for multiple DUIs. The reasoning sounds completely flawed - why should Edwards getting arrested for DUI make Jackson any more likely to get another one than he was when you made the offer to him? - so I assume Kroenke sensed an overwhelming wave of bad P.R. coming and opted to dodge it. Sensible.

The Vikings seemed to be the team that came closest to getting Jackson. They reportedly offered him $6 million this season. The Chargers' compensation demands, though, were too high: a 2nd-round pick and, depending on reports, an additional 2nd, 3rd or 4th-round pick in return. San Diego didn't come much off their demands because Jackson can go somewhere and rot for all Chargers general manager A.J. Smith cares, and he was not dealt before the Wednesday deadline that would have had him active by week 5. He can still be traded before the league deadline, if a team wants him for half a season or less.

In Smith's defense, Denver did get two 2nd-rounders for Brandon Marshall. In the Rams' defense, their last two 2nd-rounders are James Laurinaitis and Rodger Saffold; I'll be darned if I'd give up that kind of value for a player who's an incident away from a probable season-long suspension.

Give the Rams credit for giving it a try with VJ, and credit for having the sense to know when to back out.

* Walking wounded: Craig Dahl has passed all his concussion tests so far but still has to pass one tomorrow before he can be cleared to play Sunday.

There's optimism that Cliff Ryan will be cleared to go Sunday after missing last week due to migraines.

There seems to be less optimism about Laurent Robinson, limited in practice yesterday due to a foot injury, and with talk increasing that Mardy Gilyard will play a bigger role in the offense and that this might finally be the week they activate Brandon Gibson. Robinson's considered questionable for Sunday but I'm leaning toward doubtful.

Also limited in practice yesterday: Steven Jackson (knee), O.J. Atogwe (thigh), Daniel Fells (knee), Rodger Saffold (back), all of whom I'm going to assume are questionable. If Fells can't go, it looks like the Rams will unleash Project Onobun.

* Line movement: The Redskins opened as 4-point favorites for Sunday's game but have been bet down to 3 on some lines. Really? Over/under is 39. Unless that's a cosmic sign to bet on Steven Jackson, I'm going with Washington and giving the points all day on this game. Sorry.

* Back in blackout: Sunday's game is reportedly still "several thousand" tickets from being soldout. Yep, crap games like last week's loss to Oakland will do that to a fan base. The Rams are expected to seek a one-day extension to today's weirdly-precise 3:05 deadline.

I assume Fox still gets to show a game if the Rams don't sell out, so the good news for you slackers who are going to help keep me from having much video of this week's game to review is that you're probably going to get Dallas @ Houston instead, which is completely unfair. The NFL should arrange it so St. Louis is stuck with the Raiders-Cardinals game if the Rams don't sell out. It's only week 3 and we've already got a matchup that crappy? Strong motivation to get the Rams on TV.

* RB2 candidates? Larry Johnson was cut in Washington, having had five carries for two yards the first two weeks. I didn't realize how bad Washington's run game is so far this season. Clinton Portis is barely averaging 3 yards a rush. They ran for 17 yards on 18 carries in last week's loss to Houston. Their run-blocking so far has been a disaster, so maybe the Rams have a better chance Sunday than I think. Johnson, however, does not sound like any improvement over Kenneth Darby. He's almost 31, has had off-field problems and I doubt is worth the effort.

Brandon Jacobs reportedly wants out of New York. Well, a billion times NO to that possible trade idea. That mangina destroyed my fantasy team last year, for one. Also, as the New York Daily News hilariously reports, the jackass threw his helmet into the stands for two more yards than he gained on the field Sunday night in Indianapolis. I'd sooner bring back Trung Canidate.

* Kurt Warner survived the first week of Dancing With the Stars. David Hasselhoff was the first dancer discarded. Don't expect any more detail than that on Kurt's dancing adventures here.

Rams quick notes, 9/21

The Rams' injury list, along with their record and their near-term prospects, did not come out of the Oakland game Sunday in good shape. To wit:

Out:
* TE Billy Bajema out 2-4 weeks with an MCL injury.

* SS Craig Dahl suffered a concussion; testing, and his status, are pending.

* DT Darell Scott has a high ankle sprain. Would seem to be of the 4-6 week variety.

Those were the in-game injuries. Also still out:
* LB Chris Chamberlain, broken/turf toe, 5-7 weeks.
* TE Michael Hoomanawanui, high ankle sprain, 5-7 weeks.
* CB Kevin Dockery, hamstring, should be full-go for Washington.
* CB Justin King, hamstring, should return to practice this week.
* DT Cliff Ryan indefinitely due to migraines. He was left back in St. Louis.

Walking wounded:
* TE Daniel Fells, who has an MCL injury but is day-to-day. I still don't know how he survived the splits in the first quarter Sunday.

* Steven Jackson's knee appears to be doing OK but he took some kind of hit to the head during the game. And kept playing; nobody tell TMQ.

* Rodger Saffold was briefly replaced by Renardo Foster due to a sore back.

Upshot:
* With only two healthy DTs on the active roster, Jermelle Cudjo is ready for his closeup, Mr. Spagnuolo.

* The Rams are also going to have to get a TE from somewhere if they're not ready to put Project Onobun into motion. Among the speculation: they'll activate fullback Brit Miller from the practice squad, or they'll re-acquire Dennis Morris (remember? from the Hall Davis trade?), a converted fullback who was a successful college TE.

Hey, don't look at me: the best candidate I've got is Sean Ryan, a veteran who played in Kansas City last year and was released in Tennessee's final cut. There's also Derek Fine or Eric Butler, TEs who have been with the Rams before. With Project Onobun taking up one roster slot, I doubt they would use another to claim Chase Coffman off Philadelphia's practice squad, but I thought about it.

It's not a very good market at all right now for a team looking for a tight end.

Richard Angulo and Anthony Becht, however, do appear to be available.

Rams quick weekend notes

* Cliff Ryan is out of tomorrow's game due to migraines. Kevin Dockery is definitely out due to a hamstring injury. Chris Chamberlain and Michael Hoomanawanui are also certain game-day inactives.

* QB Thaddeus Lewis was waived today and Marquis Johnson called up from the practice squad to help out with the team's current DB shortage. Lewis should be headed to the practice squad.

* Calais Campbell was fined $5,000 for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Sam Bradford in last week's game. The rook's getting protected by the league already? Nice!

Rams quick notes, 9/17

* Injuries:
- Josh Hull is on IR and is out for the season due to a torn ACL.
- Chris Chamberlain, out 6-8 weeks due to a broken toe, is still on the active roster at this point.
- So is Michael Hoomanawanui, out 6-8 due to a high ankle sprain.
- Dorell Scott injured his knee yesterday. He was able to walk off the field but the severity of the injury is unknown.
- Cliff Ryan was hospitalized Wednesday night due to illness and did not return to the field Thursday. Talk about a guy having an unlucky week.
- On the DB side, Kevin Dockery continues to sit out due to a hamstring injury, and Justin King is limited with a similar issue. Dockery's at least a week away.

Oh well, the team was at least healthy for one week.

* Transactions: The Rams added Jermelle Cudjo to the practice squad and hit the delete key on Mortty Ivy. They may well wish they had just left Cudjo on the main roster in the first place, with DTs dropping like flies this week.

* VJ day? Can we all just cool our jets on the Vincent Jackson thing? Yes, the Rams need a talented wide receiver. Do we need this talented wide receiver? He can't play, or I believe even practice for anybody, until week 5 at the earliest. Unless he's got Mark Clayton's photographic memory, he's going to have to be worked gradually into the offense, isn't he? You're talking more like getting a half-season out of the guy.

Thinking longer-term, VJ's going to want a monster contract from somebody. There would be absolutely zero point in signing him here just so he can audition for the Vikings or Jets or somebody. If the Rams are to sign him here at all, it has to be to a long-term deal right away. Reports are that he's after $50 million in 5 years with $30 mil guaranteed. That's a pretty big gamble on a guy who's a well-timed police stop from being suspended for half a season (if I'm right). The Chargers also reportedly want 2nd- and 3rd-round draft picks for him. That's a high price for a rebuilding team to pay for anybody.

This is a hard one, especially with my arguments against Michael Vick making me look fairly stupid now that he's playing like his pre-jail self again. And multiple DUIs did not stop Leonard Little from being an excellent player and a good teammate. You could even argue that Little was never a major distraction to the Rams, MADD's best efforts notwithstanding.

But the situations are different. Little's incidents came as a member of a mostly-veteran team. He was always the quiet-leader type who didn't draw a lot of attention to himself. So despite the tragic accident he created, he wasn't a negative to his team. Vick's situation has been managed perfectly in Philadelphia so far. He was accepted immediately by his veteran teammates, led by Donovan McNabb. He's a look-at-me, big-ego player - he did a television show about himself, for crying out loud! - but the Eggles have kept the spotlight off him. He also is not a huge monetary risk, in NFL terms. Neither was Little, really. I still don't think Vick would have worked out here, but that point, as we say in Missourah, is now "mute".

The question today is whether Vincent Jackson would work out here, and I'm still not so sure. His willingness to hold out for the season and his WR position scream look-at-me, big-ego player. Unlike the Eggles with Vick, the Rams would have to put the spotlight on him right away. He'd be dropped immediately into a leadership role on a very young team. The x's and o's work, sure, but football is a lot more than x's and o's.

And I don't believe the Rams are the right team, or that this is the right time, for a big gamble on a risky character, one that's especially big because of the draft-pick compensation. I believe Vincent Jackson will be a far better fit in Minnesota than he would be here, a much better relative risk, and he'll be a great player there for as long as he has the sense to have a designated driver. People will predictably howl and heckle that the Rams should have gotten him, chemistry of a young, rebuilding team be damned. And Cincinnati Bengal me all you want; the jury's still very, very out on the long-term results there.

One day soon, the Rams will be the kind of team that can afford to take character risks on players, integrate those otherwise-talented players into their locker room, and be better for it. They're not there just yet. Cool your jets.