Bartell's ankle injury thought to be mild
By BILL COATS | Posted: Tuesday, August 2, 2011 9:35 pm

The St. Louis Rams got a bit of a scare when Ron Bartell, the team's top cornerback, went down about halfway through Tuesday's practice. After a few minutes on the ground, Bartell was helped up and limped to the locker room.

Coach Steve Spagnuolo said Bartell suffered a "mild sprain" of his ankle. "The X-rays were negative. But we'll see. You never know till the next day," Spagnuolo added.

Justin King took over for Bartell with the first-team defense.

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Linebacker Jabara Williams (knee) and safety Mikail Baker (knee) sat out practice.

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Defensive end Robert Quinn, the Rams' first-round draft pick who is recovering from a sprained knee, again worked on the side with head trainer Reggie Scott.

"I think the knee's coming around," Spagnuolo said. "There's a little bit of conditioning we've got left to do. We're going to be smart. We've gotten this far. He's champing at the bit to go, but we're kind of pulling him back right now."

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The players were in full pads Tuesday for the second day in a row. The practice, in stifling heat, lasted about 2 1/2 hours.

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The players have Wednesday off. No practice and no meetings.