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St. Louis Rams OK with early bye
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/12107/st-louis-rams-ok-with-early-bye
EARTH CITY, Mo. -- The St. Louis Rams are one of six teams first up in the rotation for a bye with no game scheduled this week.
It's only Week 4, and we're still in September, which could make for an especially brutal grind over the final 13 weeks of the season. But the Rams aren't complaining.
"Coaches never complain about the bye weeks when they come, they never do," Rams coach Jeff Fisher said. "It is a little unusual. This is probably the earliest I’ve ever had one. So you make the most of it. We’ve got an opportunity to get some guys back."
If nothing else, getting some injured players, guys like receiver Tavon Austin (knee), cornerbacks Trumaine Johnson (knee) and Brandon McGee (foot), offensive lineman Barrett Jones (back) and quarterback Shaun Hill (thigh), back after the bye would be a positive result from the week off. It's unlikely that all will return to the field next week but Austin and Hill are close, and the others are "closer" according to Fisher.
As dictated by the collective bargaining agreement, players must have four full days off. After practice Wednesday and Thursday, the Rams are off until next Tuesday.
In the meantime, everybody has a different idea of what they plan to do with the time off. Tight end Lance Kendricks, for example, is planning to get away from it all with a trip to Jamaica.
Oft-injured offensive lineman Rodger Saffold, in a moment of self deprecation, said he plans to do very little.
"Out of everybody in here, you know that I need to be the one to relax," Saffold said. "I’m not trying to jinx myself or hurt myself. Put myself in bubble wrap. I’m not trying to get any colds, sickness, none of that stuff."
Saffold plans to spend his weekend in his home theatre watching football, playing video games and hanging out with his pregnant wife. Defensive end Robert Quinn has similar plans.
"I’ll probably be in St. Louis doing a whole bunch of nothing," Quinn said. "I don’t do much. I’ll kick my feet up with the wife and dog and call it a day."
Of course, the bye week would be a more enjoyable experience for all parties had the Rams not blown a 21-point lead on the way to a 34-31 loss to the Dallas Cowboys last week.
With the extra week off before playing at Philadelphia on Oct. 5, the Rams had more time to stew on the loss. And though they'd much rather get back on the field in a hurry to wipe away the taste of that defeat, they'll take the rest and relaxation as it comes.
"You hate bye weeks after a loss because you are really chomping at the bit to go and play another game and get that sour taste out of your mouth," Saffold said. "But at the same time, I think that’s going to be the fire that continues to help us really work during this bye week."
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/12107/st-louis-rams-ok-with-early-bye
EARTH CITY, Mo. -- The St. Louis Rams are one of six teams first up in the rotation for a bye with no game scheduled this week.
It's only Week 4, and we're still in September, which could make for an especially brutal grind over the final 13 weeks of the season. But the Rams aren't complaining.
"Coaches never complain about the bye weeks when they come, they never do," Rams coach Jeff Fisher said. "It is a little unusual. This is probably the earliest I’ve ever had one. So you make the most of it. We’ve got an opportunity to get some guys back."
If nothing else, getting some injured players, guys like receiver Tavon Austin (knee), cornerbacks Trumaine Johnson (knee) and Brandon McGee (foot), offensive lineman Barrett Jones (back) and quarterback Shaun Hill (thigh), back after the bye would be a positive result from the week off. It's unlikely that all will return to the field next week but Austin and Hill are close, and the others are "closer" according to Fisher.
As dictated by the collective bargaining agreement, players must have four full days off. After practice Wednesday and Thursday, the Rams are off until next Tuesday.
In the meantime, everybody has a different idea of what they plan to do with the time off. Tight end Lance Kendricks, for example, is planning to get away from it all with a trip to Jamaica.
Oft-injured offensive lineman Rodger Saffold, in a moment of self deprecation, said he plans to do very little.
"Out of everybody in here, you know that I need to be the one to relax," Saffold said. "I’m not trying to jinx myself or hurt myself. Put myself in bubble wrap. I’m not trying to get any colds, sickness, none of that stuff."
Saffold plans to spend his weekend in his home theatre watching football, playing video games and hanging out with his pregnant wife. Defensive end Robert Quinn has similar plans.
"I’ll probably be in St. Louis doing a whole bunch of nothing," Quinn said. "I don’t do much. I’ll kick my feet up with the wife and dog and call it a day."
Of course, the bye week would be a more enjoyable experience for all parties had the Rams not blown a 21-point lead on the way to a 34-31 loss to the Dallas Cowboys last week.
With the extra week off before playing at Philadelphia on Oct. 5, the Rams had more time to stew on the loss. And though they'd much rather get back on the field in a hurry to wipe away the taste of that defeat, they'll take the rest and relaxation as it comes.
"You hate bye weeks after a loss because you are really chomping at the bit to go and play another game and get that sour taste out of your mouth," Saffold said. "But at the same time, I think that’s going to be the fire that continues to help us really work during this bye week."
