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Kathleen Nelson
<a class="postlink" href="http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/clemens-believes-he-ll-be-ready-if-rams-need-him/article_0110d7d3-f650-586d-8cd8-0c36ac14e48d.html#ixzz1gBYp5m6R" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football ... z1gBYp5m6R</a>
[wrapimg=left]http://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/0/b9/0b93ed5f-7900-5c82-8f3d-e9e874d3fecf/4ee0389ce9988.preview-300.jpg[/wrapimg]Kellen Clemens had little time to sit and stew about his sudden dismissal from the Houston Texans.
"When you get the phone call, 'The GM wants to talk to you,' it's generally never a good thing," Clemens said. "It's a little shock to get the call because we'd gone in there and worked really hard."
Two weeks after joining the Texans to help fill the void left by the season-ending injury to quarterback Matt Schaub, Clemens was waived Tuesday to make room for Jeff Garcia. He made the trip home to Washington state but could barely unpack before learning Wednesday that the Rams wanted him.
"When my phone rang at 10 after 1 West Coast time, that helped," Clemens said. "There's another team out there that's interested, has a little bit of confidence in you, and wants you to come in and be a part of their football team. So, it goes both ways."
But Clemens also had little time to get acclimated to Rams Park. Neither Sam Bradford (ankle) nor A.J. Feeley (thumb) practiced for the third straight day Friday, so Clemens split duties with Tom Brandstater in preparing the Rams for their game against the Seahawks on Monday in Seattle.
"I was thoroughly impressed with stepping into the huddle and rattling off the terminology," coach Steve Spagnuolo said.
Clemens credited the relatively smooth transition on his first day to working the Patriots system with the Jets' scout team twice a season for five years, to working with Jets QB coach Brian Daboll, who served in New England with Rams offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, and to McDaniels' workout with Clemens before the 2006 draft.
"I thought he was really smart. I thought he learned well" during the predraft visit, McDaniels said. "He threw the ball accurately, a good decision-maker."
Instead of going to New England, though, Clemens ended up as a second-round pick with the Jets, where he backed up Chad Pennington, Brett Favre and Mark Sanchez. He started eight games in 2007, when Pennington was injured, completing 130 of 250 passes for 1,529 yards, five touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
Clemens spent training camp this summer with the Redskins, who released him Sept 3.
Clemens said he learned through previous meetings and a late-night cram session Thursday with McDaniels, "He and I have somewhat similar offensive philosophies, so I can get on the same page as him. Now it's just a matter of I was speaking Spanish last week and now I'm speaking German, trying to get this offense down. So it's just a matter of making sure I can call the play in the huddle the correct way, get these guys to the line of scrimmage and give us an opportunity."
Even though Clemens will participate in just two practices before Monday, his game experience could give him the edge over Brandstater if Bradford's ankle does not respond. Clemens has completed 147 of 284 attempts for 1,686 yards, with five touchdowns and 11 interceptions in his career. Brandstater, in his second year out of Fresno State, has no NFL game experience.
"I don't think we have to throw the panic flag," Clemens said. "There would be some newness, but I think it will be doable."
INJURY UPDATE
In addition to Bradford and Feeley, defensive end Chris Long (ankle), defensive tackle Fred Robbins (back), running back Quinn Porter (oblique) and fullback Brit Miller, who tweaked his knee in warm-ups, did not practice. Defensive end Eugene Sims (ankle) was again limited, but offensive tackle Mark LeVoir (pectoral) participated in the full practice.
SPARRING BOUTS
Spagnuolo referred to Friday's practice as spirited, "got in some MMA work," because linebacker Brady Poppinga mixed it up after the whistle with a couple of his teammates on the offensive line.
"Brady practices a certain way. I think the guys know and appreciate it," Spagnuolo said. "That's the good thing about this group right here. There's still plenty of energy and fight in this group."
RAM-BLINGS
The Rams added defensive tackle Cornell Banks to the practice squad and released quarterback Matt Gutierrez. Banks was released from the Bengals' practice squad Wednesday. ... Running back Jerious Norwood was fined $7,500 for a chop block last week versus San Francisco. ... 49ers linebacker Ahmad Brooks was fined $15,000 a hit on Feeley in the head and neck area. ... Tight end Fendi Onobun, a Rams draft pick in 2010, signed with Buffalo, his fifth team this season.
<a class="postlink" href="http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/clemens-believes-he-ll-be-ready-if-rams-need-him/article_0110d7d3-f650-586d-8cd8-0c36ac14e48d.html#ixzz1gBYp5m6R" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football ... z1gBYp5m6R</a>
[wrapimg=left]http://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/0/b9/0b93ed5f-7900-5c82-8f3d-e9e874d3fecf/4ee0389ce9988.preview-300.jpg[/wrapimg]Kellen Clemens had little time to sit and stew about his sudden dismissal from the Houston Texans.
"When you get the phone call, 'The GM wants to talk to you,' it's generally never a good thing," Clemens said. "It's a little shock to get the call because we'd gone in there and worked really hard."
Two weeks after joining the Texans to help fill the void left by the season-ending injury to quarterback Matt Schaub, Clemens was waived Tuesday to make room for Jeff Garcia. He made the trip home to Washington state but could barely unpack before learning Wednesday that the Rams wanted him.
"When my phone rang at 10 after 1 West Coast time, that helped," Clemens said. "There's another team out there that's interested, has a little bit of confidence in you, and wants you to come in and be a part of their football team. So, it goes both ways."
But Clemens also had little time to get acclimated to Rams Park. Neither Sam Bradford (ankle) nor A.J. Feeley (thumb) practiced for the third straight day Friday, so Clemens split duties with Tom Brandstater in preparing the Rams for their game against the Seahawks on Monday in Seattle.
"I was thoroughly impressed with stepping into the huddle and rattling off the terminology," coach Steve Spagnuolo said.
Clemens credited the relatively smooth transition on his first day to working the Patriots system with the Jets' scout team twice a season for five years, to working with Jets QB coach Brian Daboll, who served in New England with Rams offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, and to McDaniels' workout with Clemens before the 2006 draft.
"I thought he was really smart. I thought he learned well" during the predraft visit, McDaniels said. "He threw the ball accurately, a good decision-maker."
Instead of going to New England, though, Clemens ended up as a second-round pick with the Jets, where he backed up Chad Pennington, Brett Favre and Mark Sanchez. He started eight games in 2007, when Pennington was injured, completing 130 of 250 passes for 1,529 yards, five touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
Clemens spent training camp this summer with the Redskins, who released him Sept 3.
Clemens said he learned through previous meetings and a late-night cram session Thursday with McDaniels, "He and I have somewhat similar offensive philosophies, so I can get on the same page as him. Now it's just a matter of I was speaking Spanish last week and now I'm speaking German, trying to get this offense down. So it's just a matter of making sure I can call the play in the huddle the correct way, get these guys to the line of scrimmage and give us an opportunity."
Even though Clemens will participate in just two practices before Monday, his game experience could give him the edge over Brandstater if Bradford's ankle does not respond. Clemens has completed 147 of 284 attempts for 1,686 yards, with five touchdowns and 11 interceptions in his career. Brandstater, in his second year out of Fresno State, has no NFL game experience.
"I don't think we have to throw the panic flag," Clemens said. "There would be some newness, but I think it will be doable."
INJURY UPDATE
In addition to Bradford and Feeley, defensive end Chris Long (ankle), defensive tackle Fred Robbins (back), running back Quinn Porter (oblique) and fullback Brit Miller, who tweaked his knee in warm-ups, did not practice. Defensive end Eugene Sims (ankle) was again limited, but offensive tackle Mark LeVoir (pectoral) participated in the full practice.
SPARRING BOUTS
Spagnuolo referred to Friday's practice as spirited, "got in some MMA work," because linebacker Brady Poppinga mixed it up after the whistle with a couple of his teammates on the offensive line.
"Brady practices a certain way. I think the guys know and appreciate it," Spagnuolo said. "That's the good thing about this group right here. There's still plenty of energy and fight in this group."
RAM-BLINGS
The Rams added defensive tackle Cornell Banks to the practice squad and released quarterback Matt Gutierrez. Banks was released from the Bengals' practice squad Wednesday. ... Running back Jerious Norwood was fined $7,500 for a chop block last week versus San Francisco. ... 49ers linebacker Ahmad Brooks was fined $15,000 a hit on Feeley in the head and neck area. ... Tight end Fendi Onobun, a Rams draft pick in 2010, signed with Buffalo, his fifth team this season.