By Nick Wagoner
Senior Writer
While the news that left tackle
Orlando Pace has been lost for the season to a torn labrum and rotator cuff in his right shoulder was clearly the worst news of the day for the Rams, the news isn’t much better for the rest of the depth on the offensive line at least this week.
Guard
Richie Incognito missed Sunday’s opener against the Panthers because of a high ankle sprain in his left ankle. Or at least so most people thought.
Incognito said Monday that the ankle was actually improving early last week, but he suffered another sprain in Tuesday’s practice.
“I had been feeling good the last couple of days before that,” Incognito said. “I felt great running around and I felt great that whole practice. We were out there for about two hours before I did it and I just got turned into a funky position and sprained it again. It was worse than the first time and it just wasn’t right.”
The second sprain is what truly kept Incognito out of Sunday’s game and has also set back his recovery time. While the second sprain wasn’t a high ankle sprain (which generally takes longer to rehabilitate), it still was enough to knock Incognito off schedule.
Incognito was originally diagnosed with a four week recovery time by his doctors following the initial sprain, but there’s no doubting the second one throws that off course.
“I won’t say the four weeks starts back over but it’s definitely a setback,” Incognito said. “It’s a low high ankle sprain. It affects the Achilles and the heel. It’s nothing that needs surgery. I got my second opinion on Sunday from one of the best foot specialists in the country so I guess it’s just going to take time.”
Fortunately for Incognito, that doctor was in town with the Panthers. Dr. Robert Anderson is Carolina’s Team Orthopedist and also just happens to be the father of Rams Media Relations Assistant Ryan Anderson.
After that meeting, Incognito put a boot on his foot that he said was uncomfortable and drove him crazy Sunday night because his foot was too wide. So, he opted for a different boot Monday afternoon that was more of a brace.
Incognito said a special boot should be arriving Tuesday and he will play out the week and see how he recovers. It’s unlikely he will be ready to play against the ***** this week, but he said considering the nature of the injury nothing is really out of the question.
“The thing that’s frustrating is that it’s not like a broken bone that takes six weeks,” Incognito said. “From everything I have read and heard from people and doctors I talked to it will just get better one day and it will be better and that’s the end of it. I’m just waiting for the day to come.”
Coach
Scott Linehan said the Rams will have a better idea of Incognito’s status around Thursday because that would give them time to get in a practice or two and a day off Tuesday could allow him added recovery time.
TERRELL SITS: With Incognito out against the Panthers on Sunday, there was plenty of speculation about who would start in his place. That decision came down to a choice between Claude Terrell and Milford Brown.
Many presumed Terrell was the favorite, but when the game started, Brown got the nod in Incognito’s stead.
Linehan said after the game the decision was close and indicated that Brown was up because he could also play tackle in a pinch.
With that in mind, Terrell said he wants to begin working at tackle and/or center in an effort to make himself more versatile.
“We only dress seven people (on the offensive line) and with what happened to Orlando you have to have somebody that can play the guard and tackle position,” Terrell said. “I guess I’m going to have to start taking some tackle snaps.
“Or I can show that I can play center because the more versatile you are, the more likely you are to play. So I have to make myself more versatile or get in the lineup.”
Terrell said he had a feeling late last week that he might be inactive because he didn’t appear on the field goal depth chart or any of the special teams units as the week progressed. Terrell also was late to a team meeting late in the week which didn’t help his cause.
“I have to keep working hard and wait on my chance,” Terrell said.
INJURY UPDATE: Aside from Pace and Incognito, the Rams came out of Sunday’s came relatively healthy.
Linebacker
Pisa Tinoisamoa suffered a right ankle sprain, but it was not a high ankle sprain. Tinoisamoa came off the field for a few plays in the fourth quarter and Chris Draft replaced him on the weak side.
Tinoisamoa was on crutches Monday afternoon and Linehan said he will be day to day.
Receiver Drew Bennett missed the game because of a tight left quadriceps, but Linehan says he is improving and things look good for his return to practice and the lineup this week.
Defensive end Victor Adeyanju suffered a sprained left knee and was unable to go full speed. In fact, he got worse as the week went on and had to miss Sunday’s game. With a day off Tuesday, Linehan said he expects Adeyanju to be ready to go this week.
RAM BITS: Although there weren’t necessarily a bunch of standouts in Sunday’s loss to Carolina, Linehan and the coaching staff were able to find enough bright spots to name the players of the game for the week…Tight end Randy McMichael earned the Offensive Player of the Week award for his effort against the Panthers. Although McMichael didn’t make his first catch until late in the game and had just two for the day, Linehan cited his performance as a blocker as a key effort, especially considering the amount of blocking he was asked to do when Pace departed the game…Defensively, free safety Oshiomogho Atogwe earned the honor for his work in the secondary. In unofficial press box statistics, Atogwe racked up 10 solo tackles and was solid aside from an early pass interference penalty…With two games to be played tonight and one game done, Rams punter Donnie Jones is fifth in the NFL in net average at 43.0 per attempt. Jones kicked well against the Panthers and the coverage was especially good in what was probably the biggest bright spot in the three phases for the Rams…Receiver
Torry Holt had eight catches against the Panthers, five of which were for third down conversions and another which went for a touchdown…Dante Hall is fourth in the NFL in kickoff returns with an average of 29.2 yards, a number boosted significantly by his 84-yard effort to open the second half.
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