Rams notes: J. Long could be done for year--PD

  • To unlock all of features of Rams On Demand please take a brief moment to register. Registering is not only quick and easy, it also allows you access to additional features such as live chat, private messaging, and a host of other apps exclusive to Rams On Demand.

RamBill

Legend
Joined
Jul 31, 2010
Messages
8,874
Rams notes: J. Long could be done for year
• By Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_deb2cd12-df60-5b45-88fd-d534285adb92.html

KANSAS CITY • Remember the Cleveland preseason game, when the Rams lost five starters in the first half?

Well, Sunday’s 34-7 shellacking to Kansas City was that nightmare revisited.

Early in the second quarter — just two plays apart — the Rams lost wide receiver Brian Quick (arm) and right guard Rodger Saffold (shoulder) to injuries. Quick’s left arm was in a sling after the game; he said he didn’t know the extent of the injury.

Late in the third quarter, left tackle Jake Long left with a knee injury. Two sources confirmed to the Post-Dispatch after the game that it looks like Long is done for the year with a torn ACL (anterior cruciate ligament). That’s the same injury that sidelined Long in the Tampa Bay game late last season.

Before the second half was over, center Scott Wells (elbow), free safety Rodney McLeod (knee) and backup free safety Cody Davis (concussion symptoms) had been sidelined with injuries. McLeod apparently has an MCL (medial collateral ligament) injury, which is not nearly as serious as an ACL injury.

And although there was no in-game announcement regarding William Hayes, the veteran defensive end left the locker room on crutches with a foot injury.

It all added up to six starters, and a backup, going down with injuries Sunday afternoon.

“I’ll assess our injury situation over the next 24 hours,” coach Jeff Fisher said at his postgame news conference. “We’re gonna have some players that are gonna miss some time. I don’t know how much and whom, but they’re gonna miss some time.”

The Rams finished the game with only two of their original five offensive line starters on the field — Greg Robinson and Joe Barksdale. And Barksdale, the team’s right tackle, was the only one playing his original position.

After Long’s injury, Robinson moved from left guard to left tackle. Mike Person, who had played only four snaps previously all season on the offensive line, came off the bench to play left guard. Barrett Jones, who played in his first game of the season last week against Seattle following back surgery, replaced Wells at center. It was Jones’ first action in the NFL on offense after being drafted in the fourth round out of Alabama in 2013.

Davin Joseph, who started the first four games of this season at right guard, replaced Saffold there.

“It’s always a setback, especially when you start losing key players,” Hayes said. “Hopefully we can get ‘em healthy this week and they’ll be ready to go for San Fran. But it just (stinks). Guys work hard and then you see ‘em go down. It’s always tough.”

SITTING IT OUT

Rams inactives Sunday were CB Janoris Jenkins (knee), CB Trumaine Johnson (knee), C Tim Barnes (shoulder), DE Ethan Westbrooks (hand), TE Alex Bayer, S Maurice Alexander and QB Case Keenum.

On Saturday, the Rams placed second-year CB Brandon McGee on the season-ending injured reserve list because of a foot injury that he aggravated in practice last week. He was replaced on the active roster by CB Jemea Thomas, who was promoted from the practice squad.

Thomas’ Rams debut included an unnecessary roughness penalty after the last Kansas City kickoff of the day.

RAM-BLINGS

• The Rams had only 200 yards of offense Sunday, easily their lowest total of the year. Between their game-opening touchdown on their first possession to some garbage-time yards on their final two possessions late in the fourth quarter, they managed only 65 yards of offense over a span equivalent to three quarters.

• After giving up zero sacks last week against Seattle, the Rams allowed seven sacks Sunday against the Chiefs.

• LB Marshall McFadden, promoted to the active roster from the practice squad following the release of WR Austin Pettis, made two special teams tackles in his Rams debut, according to unofficial press box stats.