By Bill Coats
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
Saturday, Aug. 30 2008
Thirty minutes after the Rams wrapped up their preseason schedule Thursday
night in Kansas City, wide receiver Marques Hagans, still in full uniform, sat
in front of his locker, hunched over, head hanging.
It was as if he knew what was coming.
Hagans, a fifth-round draft pick in 2006, made a late run at keeping his job,
grabbing a team-high three receptions in the second half of the 21-17
Governor's Cup loss to the Chiefs. But it wasn't enough.
Hagans and safety Jerome Carter, a fourth-round draftee in '05, were the most
notable of 10 cuts Friday as the Rams trimmed their roster to 66 players. An
additional 13 must go by 3 p.m. today to reach the regular-season limit of 53.
Also released Friday were wide receiver Matt Caddell, tight end Nick Cleaver,
cornerbacks Tanard Davis and Cortney Grixby, center Donovan Raiola, linebacker
Marcus Riley, and defensive tackles Henry Smith and Willie Williams.
Hagans was the victim of arguably the team's deepest position. When the Rams
drafted Donnie Avery and Keenan Burton in April, the competition at wideout was
ratcheted up a couple of notches.
"The thing I told (Hagans) was, just keep polishing your game," coach Scott
Linehan said. "He could really develop into one of those guys that can do a lot
of things for you."
Carter's future with the club was damaged by injuries. He was sidelined 11
games last year with a broken foot and missed a major portion of training camp
this year with a strained groin.
INJURY UPDATE
An MRI exam Friday showed no structural damage to Avery's right knee. The
second-quarter injury was diagnosed as a sprain, and Linehan said he's "not
counting him out at this point" for the regular-season opener Sept. 7.
Players with previous injuries should be able to practice this week, Linehan
indicated. That includes four starters: safety Oshiomogho Atogwe (hamstring),
cornerback Fakhir Brown (shoulder), tackle
Orlando Pace (shoulder) and
linebacker
Will Witherspoon (groin).
RAM-BLINGS
No practices were scheduled for the weekend. ... Wideouts Drew Bennett (groin)
and Dante Hall (ankle) ran Friday at Rams Park and "looked like they're going
to be OK," Linehan said.
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