Rams report, 10/29

Bad omens for the Rams Sunday, and beyond...

* Jason Smith suffered an apparent concussion in practice Thursday. He was held out of practice today due to concussion-like symptoms and is officially out for the Carolina game Sunday.

Smith hasn't been Jackie Slater at right tackle, but this is a very bad development for the Rams. Smith missed a number of games last year, his rookie season, due to concussion. At this point I think it's a very legitimate fear that this is going to be a lifelong, career-shortening problem for the 2009 #2 pick overall.

Odds are that Adam Goldberg will play RT Sunday, with John Greco at RG. That line could well still hold its own; Greco's been a strong run-blocker and Carolina hasn't put together much of a pass rush this season.

On the other hand, Renardo Foster is claiming after today's practice that HE's starting at right tackle Sunday. Words cannot express what a bad idea that would be.

Remember me picking the Panthers yesterday to put the whammy on them? It isn't working.

* Danario Alexander damaged cartilage in his left knee during practice today and will have to have it operated on for the FIFTH time. This is "minor" knee surgery, however, and the first estimate is that he will be out 2 to 4 weeks. Still, a scenario where you have four healthy wide receivers and count Laurent Robinson as one of them? Not good. Not good at all.

On the other hand, Isaac Bruce will be at the stadium Sunday. Seriously, suit him up. He'd probably be the leading receiver...

* Steven Jackson did not practice yesterday but has already announced he's going to play Sunday. Most of the other players who were out of Wednesday's practice were still out as well. Limited participation for Ron Bartell (shoulder, thigh) and James Laurinaitis (knee). James Butler has improved enough for limited participation and his chances of playing Sunday have improved. David Vobora and Mardy Gilyard have been upgraded to full participation.

So, yeah, the Rams' offensive and defensive leaders are both nicked up. The bye week's coming at the perfect time, but beating Carolina Sunday's getting harder by the minute.

* There are still 4,000 left, but enough tickets have been sold satisfy the NFL's TV blackout policy. The game will be on KTVI-2 at noon.

Rams notes, 10/28

* Injuries. Sitting out practice Wednesday:
- Steven Jackson (finger), expected to play Sunday
- James Butler (sprained MCL), very likely out this week
- Justin King (hamstring)
- Fred Robbins (toe), expected to play Sunday
- Darell Scott (ankle)
- Darian Stewart (hamstring)
- a new one on me, Fendi Onobun (back)

Ron Bartell (shoulder stinger, thigh bruise) was "very limited". I'm going to assume James Laurinaitis (knee), Kevin Dockery (ribs) and Keith Toston (groin) aren't injured enough to keep on the list. Bradley Fletcher's (hamstring) practicing, so take him off the list, too. No word on Mardy Gilyard (hamstring).

* Transactions. The Rams finally transferred Cliff Ryan to the injured reserve yesterday and filled his place with another needed body in the secondary, former Whiner safety Michael Lewis. Ryan's 2010 season is now likely only to be remembered for his goal-line fumble, on a fumble return, that cost the Rams an opening day win over the Big Dead, so let's hope he makes a full recovery from his migraine problem and bounces back in '11.

- Lewis, 6'1" 222, in his 9th year out of Colorado, played for Steve Spagnuolo at Philadelphia. He pretty much lost his starting job to rookie Taylor Mays three weeks ago and essentially quit there and asked for his release.

Scouts Inc. grades Lewis as an average-quality starter. Big, powerful, punishing tackler and aggressive in run support, but best left playing close to the LOS. Not a great open-field tackler, struggles in coverage, lacks good burst to close on passes.

Lewis' draft stock fell in 2002 when it was revealed that he had a type of heart arrhythmia known as atrial fibrillation. The Eagles selected him late in the second round. He's used his visibility as an NFL player to raise awareness about heart conditions and to raise funds for the American Heart Association and hospital cardiac centers. Bleacher Report article

- Curtis Johnson, cut from the main roster in favor of Quincy Butler, was not added back to the practice squad, as I poorly guessed at the time. He's a free agent. In addition, the Rams replaced Mortty Ivy with LB David Nixon, who had been deleted from Houston's PS.

* About that sellout: Reports that the Rams had 1,000 tickets remaining to sell out Sunday's game were misleading. They should have said: remaining to lift the TV blackout. There are 5,800 left total as of this morning, 800 need to be bought up to lift the blackout. It's not my money, but it would seem silly if the Rams didn't buy the rest of those up themselves. We should be able to expect to see Sunday's game on local TV.

* Waiver wire watch: I haven't checked the wires in a while, here are recent transactions involving former Rams:
- Houston signed Damione Lewis.
- Bobby Carpenter, who had been cut in Miami, signed with the Lions.
- Keith Null has been on and off the Jagwires PS. Currently off.
- The Rams thankfully passed up on the opportunity to pick up Danny Gorrer after the Ravens dropped him from their PS.
- Buffalo cut former Rams second-round pick Joe Klopfenstein. He was on their IR anyway.

* For entertainment purposes only. Let's see. I tried to work the fact that my Rams betting record in 2010 is horrible by picking Tampa last week, to put the whammy on them. So what happens? They beat the Rams but NOT the spread, screwing me twice. Screw you, Bucs. So now I'm 1-5-1.

But since the Rams are favored for the first time this season, (by 3, over/under 37.5) it would be irresponsible for me to use my powers of bad betting any other way than to jinx the Panthers, so Carolina's the pick. Shaky justification: they're coming off a win, Rams haven't beaten them since 2001, I won't be wearing my lucky Torry Holt jersey in favor of a throwback #80 for Isaac Bruce Day. That was an awfully lucky jersey from 1999-2001, though.

According to this source, the last time the Rams were favored to win a game was December 12, 2007, when Scott Linehan's 2-9 team was favored by 3 at home over the Falcons, who were also 2-9. The Rams won and covered, 28-16, in an epic QB battle between Gus Frerotte and Joey Harrington.

* Also for entertainment purposes only: Kurt Warner survived a subpar week on Dancing With the Stars after the much better-looking Audrina Patridge was sent packing for the hills.

Rams notes, 10/26

Updates, aftermath and other stuff I can think of in the wake of the Rams' heartbreaking loss in Tampa Sunday:

* Injury update:

- Steven Jackson broke his left ring finger Sunday and had surgery on it yesterday to have two pins inserted. He's all but certain to play Oct. 31st against Carolina.

- Ron Bartell's chances don't look very good for the Carolina game. He played against Tampa with a quad injury and suffered a shoulder stinger in the 4th quarter. The shoulder injury by itself is significant enough to downgrade him to day-to-day status. If it persists, Bartell will be heading for the magnetic resonance imager.

- James Butler sprained an MCL early in the game and is very doubtful for Carolina. No official idea yet on how long he'll be out.

- Fred Robbins injured a toe, I'm guessing early in the game. He'll need an examination to determine severity but is expected to be able to play on it for now.

- Darell Scott made a surprise return from his high ankle sprain, at least two weeks ahead of schedule, and played Sunday. He mildly re-injured the same ankle.

- James Laurinaitis has a sore knee and is day-to-day.

- NFL.com lists Chris Chamberlain (toe) as having played yesterday, I'd guess on special teams. He comes off the injury list, then. Na'il Diggs (knee) played; pretty darn well, too. Take him off also. Jackson played most of the 2nd half after a slight neck injury. Kevin Dockery played with injured ribs. Keith Toston played with a mild groin injury.

- The Rams' hamstring injury count goes down to four, from six, since David Vobora and Brit Miller were also listed as playing Sunday. Justin King, Darian Stewart and Mardy Gilyard were all inactive due to hamstring injuries, and Bradley Fletcher tweaked one late in the game. He's day-to-day.

- I feel bad about what Cliff Ryan's likely going through, but I really fail to understand why he's still tying up a roster spot. Maybe the Rams are going to throw a battery of migraine specialists at him over the bye week. Inactive again Sunday, probably should have been IR'ed last month.

* Transactions: A week after we started guessing this move around here, the Rams have re-acquired Quincy Butler, after he was waived by the Saints. Looks like he's going to have more than a decent chance to play right away against Carolina. LB Curtis Johnson was waived from the main roster to clear space for Butler and seems likely to return to the practice squad.

* Statistics:

- Despite having dealt Alex Barron away in the offseason, the Rams lead the NFL in false starts, with 15. They've had 10 the last three weeks. Rodger Saffold and Jason Smith have three apiece, followed by Jacob Bell with 2. The others: Billy Bajema, Mark Clayton, Adam Goldberg, John Greco, Mike Karney and one "everybody but the center" from Sunday.

- The formula to winning in the NFL can be deceptively easy sometimes.
The Rams are 3-0 when they score more than 17 points.
They are 0-4 when they don't.

That's a pretty paltry number to be the tipping point, isn't it? Steve Spagnuolo ought to be looking at his offense with a hard eye right about now.

* This week's harebrained idea: the Rams have one of the best defensive backs in franchise history on their staff, WRs coach Nolan Cromwell: anybody think he could help our hands-of-stone defense stop dropping interceptions like they're live porcupines?

* TV time: less than 1,000 tickets remain for Carolina, so there should be little trouble getting Sunday's game past the NFL blackout rule.

* Yes, I'm bitter: LaGarrette Blount's ridiculous success Sunday has me rooting hard for Boise State to finish ahead of Oregon in the BCS this year. Like last year.

* Pro Bowl balloting has opened on NFL.com. Steven Jackson's certainly the Rams' best bet for a Pro Bowler this year, but it'd be nice to get Long, Hall, Robbins and Laurinaitis some recognition.

* Kurt in trouble: Kurt Warner had the lowest score on Dancing With The Stars last night.

Rams notes, 10/21

* Injury status: Cliff Ryan (migraines), Justin King (hamstring), Darian Stewart (hamstring) all sat out of practice yesterday, as I assume did DarellDorell Scott (ankle). Ron Bartell (thigh) also sat out and may bear watching.

Chris Chamberlain (toe), Na'il Diggs (knee), Mardy Gilyard (hamstring), Jerome Murphy (hamstring) and David Vobora (yes, hamstring) were limited participants in practice. No word on Brit Miller, also reported with a hamstring problem after the Chargers game.

Danario Alexander has returned to full-go status and comes off the injury list.

* Chargers LB Kevin Burnett will not even be fined for his helmet-to-helmet hit on Sam Bradford Sunday. Not even a token "Hey, be more careful" fine? I figured the league would get him for $10-$15K, at least.

Way to protect your future stars, jackasses!

* Still kicking: Kurt Warner has outlasted Florence Henderson, who was kicked off Dancing With the Stars this week. Kurt has yet to pull a hamstring at last word.

Illustration from thestretchinghandbook.com, which maybe somebody at Rams Park might want to check out

Congratulations Chris Long

Good luck finding the official announcement, but the NFL has named Chris Long the NFC Defensive Player of the Week. Long had two sacks and about a million pressures in the Rams' 20-17 win Sunday over San Diego.

Transaction update, 10/20

Chauncey Washington has replaced Hyphen Jr., Jimmy Saddler-McQueen, on the practice squad. Washington was waived from the main roster earlier in the week, and there is still an opening there. I'm still thinking Quincy Butler.

Never mind, Quincy Butler has signed with the Saints. The Rams have ended up bringing back awful DB Antoine Thompson to the practice squad and promoted LB Curtis Johnson from the squad.

Methinks someone at Rams Park goofed. Why not just leave Washington on the roster?

Rams notes, 10/19

* That was an award-worthy performance by the Rams over San Diego Sunday. Proof? Steven Jackson is up for FedEx Ground Player of the Week, and Danario Alexander is up for Pepsi Rookie of the Week.

As they say in Chicago, vote early and vote often.

* Did somebody say the player(s) who had to step up for the San Diego game were Chris Long and the defensive line? Just checking.

* As I guessed during RamView, the official's interpretation on the helmet-to-helmet hit by Kevin Burnett on Sam Bradford was that Bradford had become a runner and was fair game. Bull. Shit. Why does the league make it legal for the QB to slide for safety and also make it legal to clock him in the head? Needless to say, the league's doing a lot of answering this week for letting all of these downfield blows to the head go unpenalized. One thing TMQ got right this week was to include the hit on Bradford on the list of this weekend's notorious blows to the head, the only national outlet or column I've seen or heard do so.

* Wacky 2010 statistic #1: 33-year-old James Hall is in the top 5 in the NFL in sacks with 6. He's on a pace for 16. His high sack season for the Rams was 6.5 in 2008.

* Wacky 2010 statistic #2: the Rams have won as many games this season as they did the last two seasons combined. (Randy Karraker, 101 ESPN)

* Wacky 2010 statistic #3: the Rams are out of first place in the NFC by one game. Note I didn't say NFC West. Nobody in the whole conference is above 4-2. Home field advantage for the playoffs!

* Jackson is 32 yards from passing Eric Dickerson to become the leading rusher in team history.

* Injury update: Bartender! A round of hamstrings for everyone. Minor hamstring injuries for Mardy Gilyard, Brit Miller and Jerome Murphy. Significant hamstring injuries for Darian Stewart and Justin King, who are expected to miss Sunday's game in Tampa because of them.

Anybody on this freaking team ever heard of stretching?

Ron Bartell has an injured left wrist and a bruised thigh but should be able to go against the Bucs, and Chris Chamberlain returns to practice this week. Jacob Bell is fine and played Sunday. Same for Jason Smith. Na'il Diggs is day-to-day due to a sprained knee. David Vobora (ANOTHER hamstring) was on the active roster Sunday but didn't play. Cliff Ryan was inactive again and is out indefinitely, or infinitely, even, due to migraines. DarellDorell Scott was also inactive due to a high ankle sprain and should be out another 2 to 4 weeks.

Danario Alexander's got some soreness in his knee but it was expected. He'll probably be practiced lightly this week.

* Transactions: Reports are that the Rams have waived Chauncey Washington from the active roster, but no corresponding transaction has been announced. Mortty Ivy is listed on the active roster on the Rams' website right now, but with Washington still on it, too, that's a 54-man roster, not quite legal. They do list only 7 on the practice squad. I'm surprised they'd cut Washington - our depth at RB hasn't gotten any better, you know - and more surprised that they'd replace him with an LB, if they are, given all the injuries at DB right now.

Calling Quincy Butler!

* Buc the odds: Tampa opened in Vegas as a 3-point favorite, which is already being bet down. Over/under is 38. I think there's plenty of reason to bet the Rams, but let's try to keep the jinx on my 1-3-1 Rams betting record and pick pewter power.

TMQ can suck it

Gregg Easterbrook mentions the Rams for probably the first time in three years (one year, his whole preseason preview of the Rams was two lines long) in his famous on-line column at ESPN.com, and it's to criticize the fans...

"Worst Crowd Reaction: St. Louis spectators have gotten out of practice watching football played properly. Les Mouflons leading San Diego 17-10 with 4:44 remaining, facing third-and-13 on the Bolts' 29, St. Louis coaches called a draw that gained 2 yards. Home spectators booed loudly. But a rush ensured the clock kept moving, and grinding the clock is essential to endgame strategy. The Rams launched a field goal on the next snap for a 20-10 lead; San Diego scored a quick touchdown, then kicked deep rather than onside; St. Louis was able to drain the rest of the clock for the win."

Dear Gregg: The clock had stopped the play BEFORE, because Pat Shurmur had called a pass from the Chargers 20 and Jason Brown committed a holding penalty. Why not analyze the unwiseness of that call instead of taking a cheap shot at St. Louis fans? Having now made the potentially-clinching FG attempt far more difficult, Shurmur followed that call with the same conservative middle run he'd been calling THE ENTIRE SECOND HALF while the Rams' 17-point lead melted down to a one-score difference. And it failed like it had all half.

Boo! Rams fans were certainly entitled to (though I didn't, choosing instead to try to send positive vibes to our kicker). The crowd saw the game in jeopardy because of a half of bad play-calling and spoke its mind. We couldn't trust Josh Brown with a 36-yard FG in Oakland, now Shurmur was leaving it to him to hit from 48. And we know four minutes and three timeouts is plenty left for a comeback by the high-powered San Diego offense. Hell, it took them all of one minute to reduce the lead to three! By not running the previous play, Shurmur failed to take an additional 45 seconds off the clock, failed to burn up one of San Diego's timeouts and left Brown a much more difficult task to put the game out of reach. We're supposed to be happy about that because the clock is still running? What's so superior in your mind about the clock management the way those plays were called?

You go back to complaining about governors taking their security details with them on overseas trips and leave criticisms like this to people who actually watched the game, mm-kay?

Rams notes, 10/15

* Sunday's game will be aired on local TV, KMOV advertising last night that they and A-B bought up leftover tickets to qualify the game as a sellout. Noon Sunday on channel 4 (CBS, NOT Fox-2, this is an AFC road game.)

* Injury update. The only players who didn't practice at all yesterday were Chris Chamberlain (toe) and David Vobora (hamstring). That's more than a little interesting if it's perfectly accurate. That would mean Cliff Ryan is finally playing again, DorellDarell Scott is getting close, and Jacob Bell doesn't have any lingering concussion symptoms from Sunday. Good news all around. Also, Steven Jackson has declared he's 100% and is no longer wearing that weird fetish gear he had on the last couple of weeks to protect his groin injury. (Actually, he didn't wear it last week against Detroit.) Steven Jackson with full range of motion is a good thing. He is 141 yards away from the team career rushing record.

* Nate Burleson was fined $15,000 for being a jackass after his TD in the second half of last Sunday's game. After an exaggerated strut for the last 10 yards into the end zone, he punted the ball into the crowd and raised his jersey to show some stupid message on his t-shirt. Burleson commented the NFL "was kind of rough on me. They got me."

Yeah, you want to know how to avoid that? Act like you've been there before.

Jackass.

* Several Post-Dispatch contributors were asked who on the Rams needed to step their game up the most this week. None of them mentioned the defensive line, (ok, Brian Burwell sorta did) which wasn't even in the same area code as Shaun Freaking Hill most of the game. If Chris Long plays to his level of the first four weeks, I like the Rams' chances to at least stay close.

Rams notes, 10/13

Looks like I have a lot to catch up on - then again, so do the Rams, after that odious spectacle in Detroit Sunday. When you were 1-15 the year before, don't go anyplace the next year thinking you will win just by showing up, m-kay?

* Lies, damned lies, and statistics. One of the big blows of the Detroit fiasco statistically was that the Rams actually had a positive point differential for a couple of weeks. Not any more; they've now scored 83 this season and given up 96. Then again, the Cardinals have one of the NFL's worst point differentials at -50, and they're in first place.

* In case you weren't already sure the onside kick to start the Lions game was one of the dumbest possible calls in the NFL, Mike Sando's blog on ESPN.com found out it's been tried EIGHT times in the last TEN YEARS (about 2,600 games) and worked TWICE. Great odds, Spagnuolo, you numbnut. Ironically, Kansas City tried the same thing in Indianapolis Sunday about the same time the Rams did in Detroit. And also failed. And that was also a dumb call. By doing that, Todd Haley was kind of agreeing with everyone else that the Chiefs' 3-0 record was a mirage, that they couldn't really compete with the Colts. Wrong message. Though the Colts have at least very famously shown vulnerability to the onside kick, back in February in the Super Bowl, and the Chiefs have pretty good special teams. A poor call, but infinitely more justifiable than the Rams'.

The Bills are at the Ravens in two weeks; that's the next time ANYBODY in the NFL has permission to even think about starting a game with an onside kick.

* Injury update. Mark Clayton, of course, is out for the rest of the season after tearing a patellar tendon in the first quarter against Detroit. TE Darcy Johnson has also been placed on season-ending IR. He has symptoms of a concussion and is on his way to being waived/injured.

The Rams are officially healthy at TE again, though: Billy Bajema and Michael Hoomanawanui both return to action this week. Gary Gibson's shoulder injury didn't keep him out of Sunday's game, so he also comes off the list. Kevin Dockery (hamstring) was out for Detroit but should be up for San Diego.

Still on the list lih: Chris Chamberlain (toe) is at least doing limited work in practice, but is probably another week away. DarellDorell Scott's got up to another 3 to 5 weeks to go on his high ankle sprain. Cliff Ryan's migraines continue to be, well, a headache. About time to think about IRing him, isn't it? Jacob Bell was "dinged" and will be watched for concussion symptoms. Justin King (calf) played Sunday but was pretty far from 100%.

Day-to-day: David Vobora (bruised knee); Jason Smith (sore foot); Ron Bartell (bruised calf, stone hands).

* Transactions. Oh, great, Mizzou fans are abuzz: Danario Alexander was promoted to the 53-man roster to replace Clayton. And Illini fans: not only is Uh-Oh on the way back, but Brit Miller was also called up from the practice squad, to replace Johnson. Brandon McRae and Mortty Ivy were re-signed to the PS.

* Blackout watch. Currently about 5,000 tickets remaining for the San Diego game this coming Sunday. Kevin Demoff's hoping for help from local firms again to get the game on TV. Yeah, losing 44-6 to freaking Detroit didn't exactly help the cause.

* Vegas verdict. The Rams opened as 9.5-point underdogs to the Chargers, but that's already been bet down to 8.5. Sigh, give me the Chargers and the over. The good news: I'd be a crappy 1-2-1 betting Rams games this season.

* RamView's harebrained personnel move of the week: instead of rushing the brittle-legged Alexander up off of our own PS, I was for signing Juaquin Iglesias off of Chicago's. 6'1" 205, runs a sub-4.5 40, and most importantly, gives Sam Bradford a familiar target. Iglesias had 142 catches for over 2,000 yards and 15 receiving TDs his last two seasons at Oklahoma. Most if not all of it would have been from Bradford. I could not completely back Iglesias, though, until he is completely cleared in the Lisa Lampanelli matter. That's just gross.

* Lest I forget, Kurt Warner is still in fine shape on Dancing With The Stars, which sent The Situation back to Jersey last night.

Rams notes, 10/8

* Justin King sat out yesterday's practice due to a calf problem he has been fighting since training camp. Kevin Dockery's already out, so if King can't go, Jerome Murphy steps up to nickelback, with no true corner backing him up. I'm already having nightmares of Calvin Johnson beating James Butler pitifully for TDs.

* Off the injury list: Steven Jackson, Oshiomogho Atogwe, Laurent Robinson, Rodger Saffold, Darian Stewart.

* Still out: Dockery (hamstring), Gary Gibson (lih, shoulder), Cliff Ryan (migraines), Darell Scott (ankle).

* Making a comeback: Billy Bajema, Chris Chamberlain, Michael Hoomanawanui.

Rams notes, 10/7

* Injury update:
- Gary Gibson sat out practice yesterday due to a shoulder injury.
- Rodger Saffold left practice early due to a shin injury but expects to return to practice today.
- Laurent Robinson is apparently back at full strength after missing two weeks due to a foot injury. The Rams were 0-2 with Robinson on the field; 2-0 with Brandon Gibson. Just sayin. They scored 27 points in 2 games with Robinson on the field; 50 with Gibson. Just sayin again.
- Billy Bajema, Chris Chamberlain, Michael Hoomanawanui and Darian Stewart are practicing in individual drills. Steven Jackson and Oshiomogho Atogwe are close to, if not full-go.
- Remaining out: Kevin Dockery (hamstring), Cliff Ryan (migraines), Dorell Scott (ankle).
- Out of nowhere, Marquis Johnson has been put on season-ending IR. He has both knee and shoulder injuries that will require surgery. George Selvie better not walk under any ladders anytime soon; he's the only of the three Rams' 2010 7th-round picks not on IR. I thought 7 was supposed to be lucky. Mark Setterstrom was a 7th-rounder, too; his 2010 season ended before training camp. Be careful out there, George.

* Roster moves:
- Johnson's spot on the practice squad has been filled by former Notre Dame DB Terrail Lambert.
- Mounting injuries at DT have led to the "deletion" of Jamie McCoy from the practice squad. He has been replaced by DT Jimmy Saddler-McQueen. I don't know a thing about Saddler-McQueen, but the last time the Rams had a DT with an awesome hyphenated last name, they won the Super Bowl. And the new guy's last name has *3* capital letters. Way to raise the bar.

* Kurt Warner's Hall of Fame candidacy is safe; he has outlasted Margaret Cho on Dancing With The Stars.

Rams notes, 10/5

The Rams came out of Sunday's history-making 20-3 smackdown of Seattle little the worse for wear. Injuries during the game:

- Besides having a 13-stitch divot taken out of his head while foiling a fake FG, Kevin Dockery re-aggravated his hamstring and will be out up to two weeks.

- Gary Gibson injured a shoulder and may have to get it MRI'ed.

- Steven Jackson and Oshiomogho Atogwe, however, did not worsen the respective groin and thigh injuries they played with. I assume they'll be no worse than probable for Detroit.

* Old injuries:
- Darian Stewart was inactive against Seattle due to a hamstring injury but could return to practice this week. His status was originally described as day-to-day.

- Laurent Robinson was inactive for the second straight week due to a foot injury; I've seen no estimated duration for that. Have to call him out indefinitely.

- Cliff Ryan's migraine problems also continue. He was inactive against Seattle and I'd also consider him out indefinitely. If Gary Gibson can't go, the Rams are going to have to come up with another defensive tackle. So, Ernest Reid, did you keep in shape after training camp? OMG, D-Lew's available, isn't he? Don't even think about it, Billy Devaney.

- Billy Bajema (sprained MCL) could return to practice this week. That would be on the quick side for his recovery time.

- In even bigger surprises, Chris Chamberlain (toe) and Michael Hoomanawanui (ankle) are also considered possible for return to practice this week. I had them as out another 3-5 weeks.

- Darell Scott (ankle) should be out another 4-6 weeks, unless he's also a fast healer and comes back next week. Or, more than likely, these were all 4-6 week injuries instead of 6-8.

* Off the injured list: Mike Karney, Keith Toston, and Craig Dahl all played Sunday, as of course did Jackson and Atogwe.

* Old news:
- Santana Moss was fined $5,000 for the crackback block he threw on Atogwe last week.

- Keith Null spent four days on the Jagwires practice squad, becoming deletable when they picked up Trent Edwards.

- More memories of training camps past:
Brooks Foster was added to the Dolphins practice squad.
Cord Parks was dropped from the Seahawks practice squad.
Lance Ball was added to the Broncos practice squad.
The Saints cut K.C. Asiodu.

- And yes, Danny Gorrer is still holding down a job in the NFL. Ravens PS.

- Per NFL.com, Marquis Johnson returned to the Rams practice squad September 30th. The Rams online roster is not up-to-date; it has Johnson on the active roster and just seven men on the PS.

* Betting lion: Rams opened as 3-point underdogs to the Lions, over/under 42.5. I'll take the Rams and the points, please.

Seattle game on TV

The Rams and several local firms bought up enough of this week's unsold tickets to clear the stupid NFL blackout rule and get Sunday's game on TV. Noon on KTVI-2.

This might, however, be the last home game that gets on TV until Kansas City comes here in December. I'm guessing that's the one game on the schedule that has the chance to be an actual sellout, since Chiefs fans travel well and that team is playing well. I give the Rams and the local business community high credit for putting out funds to help get the first three games on TV, but we can hardly expect them to do it all season.

For all the taxpayer dollars that get put into building stadiums for NFL teams, we sure do get screwed as far as whether or not we get to watch our local team on TV. Maybe the fans/taxpayers should be the folks who go on strike after this season.

Rams notes, 10/1

* Steven Jackson, O.J. Atogwe, Cliff Ryan, Laurent Robinson and Darian Stewart have all been held out of practice so far this week. About the only injury situation on the team that's improved this week is Craig Dahl's. He's full-go now and if the game were today, he'd be starting in Atogwe's free safety spot.
Jackson describes his leg and groin as "still tight" and hasn't attempted to do any running yet since his injury last Sunday. At this point he's considered doubtful for Seattle.

* The Rams got an extension of the blackout deadline again this week, to noon today. Right now it's believed the game will be televised locally.

* With Jackson very likely down and the secondary continuing to have to rely on awful James Butler, I'm reluctantly taking Seattle minus the point.

* And lest I forget, Kurt Warner's still alive on Dancing With the Stars after Michael Bolton was banished this week. Kurt, your Hall of Fame candidacy is safe as long as you beat out Bolton and Margaret Cho. Don't let America down.