Rams notes: With sore hamstring, Mason won't play vs. Chiefs/PD

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Rams notes: With sore hamstring, Mason won't play vs. Chiefs
• By Joe Lyons

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_de36978f-bb73-5236-9da6-cdaa8f5d7e8b.html

Rams running back Tre Mason, the likely opening-day starter with first-round draft pick Todd Gurley being brought along slowly, left Saturday night’s 24-14 loss to the Indianapolis Colts with a hamstring injury.

At a meeting with reporters Sunday afternoon at Rams Park, coach Jeff Fisher said that Mason would not play in Thursday’s preseason finale against the Kansas City Chiefs at the Edward Jones Dome and the the second-year pro “will probably be questionable’’ for the regular-season opener against the visiting Seattle Seahawks on Sept. 13.

“He pulled up a little bit; he felt it so he shut it down on the play,’’ Fisher said. “We will probably hold him out, depending on how he responds the next couple of days. ... He’s a quick healer, so we’re optimistic.’’

Before the injury, Mason rushed four times for 12 yards and also caught a pair of passes for 19 yards. As a rookie last year, he sat out the first four games of the season but came on to make nine starts and rush for a team-leading 765 yards while averaging 4.3 yards a carry. He also caught 16 passes for 148 yards and scored five touchdowns.

Fisher also said that another of the team’s Auburn products, third-year linebacker and special teams leader Daren Bates, will not play Thursday and is also expected to be questionable for Seattle. Bates suffered a knee injury in the preseason opener at Oakland.

Fisher said guard Rodger Saffold was “close’’ and could return to practice this week.

Asked about Gurley, Fisher quipped: “He’s probably a step ... a day closer than he was yesterday.’’

PENALTY WOES CONTINUE

Once again, penalties kept the Rams’ offense from distinguishing itself. The team was charged with 10 penalties for 83 yards. By contrast, the Colts were flagged five times for 36 yards.

“The penalty thing has been addressed and will be continued to be addressed,’’ Fisher said. “Like I say, there’s probably closer to 70 percent of the penalties I don’t disagree with, but nonetheless we did have a couple that we have to learn from.

“Late in the game, (rookie tackle) Isaiah (Battle) got beat inside and he’s been coached not to get the quarterback hit, so he was called for holding. I’ll live with that. We have to teach him to do better with technique and his hand placement, but at least he understands the importance of not getting the quarterback hit.’’

One penalty Fisher definitely didn’t agree with was an early offensive pass-interference call on Tavon Austin that wiped out a 25-yard gain on a Nick Foles-to-Austin pass.

“The OPI (offensive pass interference) on (Austin), they could’ve called illegal contact because the defensive player made the contact, but those things happen in the game,’’ the coach said. “It’s really good for the players to see it, because in order to completely avoid it you have to keep your hands down. Even though you didn’t push off, you extend your hands sometimes, they’re going to see it differently, so it’s a good learning experience.”

Both center Barrett Jones and guard Demetrius Rhaney were slapped with facemask penalties in the game.

“Well, you don’t want to grab facemasks anytime, that’s a big penalty. Holding is 10, a facemask is 15,’’ Fisher said. “Sometimes they’re just reaching out to protect and it happens. If we do some things different earlier in both downs, we don’t have the penalties. So if we execute earlier in the down, if we make a decision to get rid of the ball here as opposed to go through your progression and scramble out of it, not that I’m blaming Nick (Foles) — that’s part of the learning experience — then that doesn’t happen. The penalty doesn’t take place.”

COLTS’ ONSIDE KICK

After taking the lead on an Adam Vinatieri field goal, the Colts caught the Rams by surprise with an onside kick that led to a 32-yard TD pass from Andrew Luck to Andre Johnson.

On the play, Colts safety Clayton Geathers powered his way past the Rams’ Cody Davis to recover Pat McAfee’s kick.

“I was a little surprised at the surprise onsides,’’ Fisher said. “It’s a dangerous play, but that’s (Colts coach Chuck Pagano’s) choice. Unfortunately we didn’t get it, so they grabbed an extra possession from us. So, that took it away from the offense,’’

Fisher continued: “The cons (of a play like that) are, there was a lot of collisions on that play. I’m going to assume their purpose was to show that they’ll do it so their upcoming opponents are going to be aware of it and looking for it and not running out of there to set up their returns. You won the toss and you defer and then come back and onside kick, I was a little confused about that. Preseason, you win a toss, you take the ball and you go, but that’s Chuck. Chuck and I are friends and I talked to him about it. He’s done a great job there, so there must have been a reason for it.”

RAM-BLING

The Rams have yet to announce any cuts. Under NFL rules, the team must cut from 89 to 75 by 3 p.m. on Tuesday.

“Obviously, we have some tough decisions to make here,’’ Fisher said. “We’ve had discussions. We have a good feel for where we are going to go and how we are going to get to 75. We will be informing our players over the next couple of days.’’