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Rams notes: Austin, Harkey have mild knee strains
• By Joe Lyons
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_8aa26a59-14ce-55a3-9223-895c000bc710.html
Rams coach Jeff Fisher was finally able to provide some positive injury news during his Monday meeting with reporters at Rams Park.
“We did tests, did MRI both on (tight end) Cory Harkey and (wide receiver) Tavon Austin ... both have mild knee strains. Nothing that requires surgery (and) I wouldn’t rule them out for this weekend.
“They’re both, as you can imagine, stiff and sore today, but it was good news this morning and we really didn’t have anything else.’’
Fisher again stressed that veteran quarterback Shaun Hill, who missed Sunday’s game with a thigh injury, would return to the starting role if healthy.
Austin, chosen with the eighth overall pick in the 2013 draft, was injured on the play just before the game was suspended by the threat of lightning. On the play, Austin appeared to have his right knee caught under him as he went low for a pass and was hit from behind by Tampa Bay safety Mark Barron.
After the weather delay of nearly an hour, Austin tried to warm up but said the knee tightened up. He finished the day with two carries for 21 yards and one punt return for minus-1 yard.
Harkey was shaken up late in the third quarter. On a bootleg to the left, Austin Davis completed a short pass to Harkey, who was upended quickly on a low hit by safety Dashon Goldson.
Harkey returned in the fourth quarter, hauling in a 6-yard pass from Davis, and finished with two catches for 8 yards.
“We knew Cory was a tough guy. He loves the game,’’ Fisher said. “That was a rough hit ... that’s a byproduct of the league and the rule changes. (Goldson) is a good football player and that’s one that you just don’t like to see. ... I feared the worst on it until he got to the sideline and the docs felt structurally he was going to be OK. We were going to change some personnel groups and Cory said, ‘No, don’t change them. I’m going back in.’ ... Very impressed with him.’’
BAILEY’S RETURN?
The Rams could receive some more good news soon as the NFL and the NFL Players’ Association work toward a new drug policy agreement. When the new agreement is finalized, the suspensions of several players, including Rams receiver Stedman Bailey, will be revoked.
Bailey, who came on last year in his rookie season to finish with 17 catches for 226 yards and to finish second on the team with seven special teams tackles, was suspended four games for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy and has not been with the team since the end of the preseason.
He was one of the Rams’ top receivers through training camp and the preseason, finishing with six catches for 87 yards and a touchdown.
“Don’t have any new information,’’ Fisher said. “We’ve been hearing for four or five days that they’re going to vote and that everybody will be reinstated or they have a list of those who should be reinstated. There was some talk about (it) even as late as Friday and Saturday, but I haven’t heard anything.’’
The Rams did, however, place defensive tackle Matt Conrath on waivers Monday.
“We released Matt Conrath to clear a spot in the event that it does happen over the next couple of days,’’ Fisher said.
DEFENSIVE NUMBERS
In addition to coming up with a blocked punt and a blocked field goal, second-year safety T.J. McDonald finished with nine tackles to finish as co-leader along with middle linebacker James Laurinaitis, according to the coaches’ review of the game tape.
McDonald’s last tackle of the game shook up Tampa Bay rookie Mike Evans and helped close out the victory. Evans, a Texas A&M product, had to be helped from the field and since the Bucs has already used their three timeouts, a 10-second runoff resulted in the game ending before Tampa Bay could attempt a last-second field goal try.
“It was a big play,’’ Fisher said.
It marked the first time since 1979 that the Rams had a blocked punt and a blocked field goal in the same game.
Other tackling leaders for the Rams were linebacker Alec Ogletree and defensive end William Hayes with eight apiece and cornerback E.J. Gaines with seven. With six tackles each were defensive tackle Aaron Donald, defensive end Robert Quinn and defensive end Eugene Sims.
Donald, a first-round draft pick from Pitt, led the team with two tackles for loss and was credited with the Rams’ lone sack.
Hayes, starting in place of injured Chris Long, had two quarterback pressures and two quarterback hurries while Ogletree had two quarterback hurries and a pass defense. Linebackers Laurinaitis and Jo-Lonn Dunbar combined to force the Rams’ first interception of the season, an acrobatic grab by safety Rodney McLeod near the St. Louis goal line.
For the second time in as many weeks, Chase Reynolds paced the Rams with two tackles on special teams.
The Rams had 11 players who went the distance in the heat and humidity Sunday. On offense, six players (quarterback Davis and offensive linemen Davin Joseph, Rodger Saffold, Joe Barksdale, Scott Wells and Jake Long) were on the field for all 61 snaps. On defense five (safeties McDonald and McLeod, linebackers Laurinaitis and Ogletree and cornerback Janoris Jenkins) took all 57 defensive snaps.
McDonald also took part in 12 plays on special teams.
