[RamWraith]

He suffered scary neck injury Monday
BY STEVE KORTE
News-Democrat

ST. LOUIS - A lot of thoughts flashed through St. Louis Rams cornerback Terry Fair's mind Monday night as he laid on the turf at Ford Field unable to move his arms or legs.

"I was reflecting on everything while I was on the ground because when you're down there, it seems like you are down there for an eternity," Fair said. "I'm thinking, 'Am I ever going to be able to walk again? Am I am going to have the ability to play if I walk again? Do I have any other damage in my body? Did I come back (from injury) to go out this way?'

"You think about all of those things, and you just pray and hope for the best. You hope that everything is all right."

Fair was all right Wednesday, no worse for his frightening experience other than a sore neck. He even predicted that he would be available in the Rams' season opener against the San Francisco ***** on Sept. 11.

"Everything was negative, so it was a big relief," Fair said of the medical tests taken after he was carted off the field and transported to Henry Ford Hospital.

Fair said his family, including his mother, his fiancee and his daughter, were waiting for him at the hospital.

"They were just happy seeing me moving and doing well," Fair said. "That was a frightening sight laying on the field not being about to move from the neck down. I could feel my legs shaking, which was my nerves, and not being able to do anything about it is pretty scary."

Fair was injured trying to tackle Detroit running back Kevin Jones in the first quarter of the Rams' 37-13 preseason win over the Lions.

Fair's head snapped back after his helmet collided with Jones' thigh. He crumpled to the ground, laying on his stomach for several minutes.

Fair said he regained movement in his arms and legs after a couple of minutes. He gave the thumbs-up sign with his right arm as he was being taken off the field.

"I was just letting my family know and let everybody know that everything was going to be OK," Fair said.

Fair's recovery was as amazing as that of wide receiver Rod Tidwell in the climatic moment of the movie "Jerry Maguire."

In the movie, Tidwell, played by Cuba Gooding Jr., jumps to his feet and does a celebration dance after being knocked out catching a touchdown pass.

"Just without the dancing and everything," Fair said. "Believe me, I wanted to do it."

After reviewing the game tape, Fair said his injury wasn't caused by bad technique on the tackle.

"It was just an unusual set of circumstances," Fair said. "I hit him pretty square and flush with my shoulder, and just as I'm hitting him, his knee comes up and jerks my head back.

"You look at it and say, 'What could I have done differently?' You can't really say. The one thing that helped me out was having my head up on the tackle. When you have it down, you're really prone to having neck and spine injuries. Having it up really saved me from having terrible injuries."

Fair learned from coach Mike Martz on Tuesday that he has already made the Rams' final 53-man roster. For Fair, it was the culmination of a lot of hard work coming back from a series of injuries that limited him to just three regular-season NFL games over the past three seasons.

"When he told me that, I wanted to give him a hug," Fair said. "I held back a little bit. All the hard work really paid off. I don't have to worry about playing and making this team.

"I'm already on the team, so I think I'll be more comfortable in what I do. I can let my skills really come out now."

Martz said he was leaving the decision on whether Fair plays against the ***** up to Fair.

"That's kind of left up to him to some extent," Martz said. "He should be ready next week, that's what the doctor said, but that's really up to how he feels."

Fair said he won't be gun-shy when he returns to the field.

"You don't do anything differently," Fair said. "You just come back and play the game as hard you can play it and with as much reckless abandon as you can. You just enjoy it."