By Bill Coats
Of the Post-Dispatch
08/11/2004
MACOMB, Ill. - As Rams training camp grinds along, the injury list fluctuates, sometimes brimming with names, other days identifying only a few relegated to the sideline. Often just as important is the players who haven't shown up among the wounded.
Defensive tackle Damione Lewis is in that category, which ranks as a significant development. Lewis has participated in every practice, from start to finish, as he attempts to nail down the starting spot that Brian Young held before signing with New Orleans in the offseason as a free agent.
A broken foot in 2001 and an ankle sprain last year cost Lewis 11 games during his three-year career and perhaps are the primary reasons he hasn't achieved the potential the Rams saw when they drafted him in the first round (12th overall) in '01.
Living up to such lofty expectations, though, isn't paramount in Lewis' mind. "That doesn't even bother me," he said. "Every time I'm on the field, I've got something to prove. It's just the competitive part of it." Mainly, he just wants to stay on the field.
"That's been the biggest thing since I've been here," said Lewis, 26. "I just want to be healthy, and I tried to work in the offseason to do what I need to do to stay healthy for the whole year. That'd be a big deal for me."
And for the Rams. Without Young and defensive end Grant Wistrom, who went to Seattle as a free agent, two holes in the front four need to be plugged. So far, Bryce Fisher is manning Wistrom's right-end spot. And Lewis is holding down things inside, alongside Ryan Pickett. Pro Bowl defensive end
Leonard Little handles the left end.
Coach Mike Martz said the 6-foot-2, 301-pound Lewis has "had a real good camp. He had a good practice (last Saturday) against the Bears, good pass rush. That inside pass rush is so hard to find, and he looks like he's got some of that going for him."
Tinoisamoa notices a difference this year
For
Pisa Tinoisamoa, the road from the University of Hawaii to the NFL All-Rookie team traveled through Macomb, where a year ago he was one of training camp's most pleasant surprises. Tinoisamoa, the Rams' second-round draft pick in 2003, quickly proved that he deserved a spot in the lineup at outside linebacker.
It didn't stop there. Tinoisamoa, 6-0 and 235 pounds, started every game. He collected 121 tackles, making him the first Rams rookie to lead the team in that category. At camp this year, he said he feels like a grizzled veteran.
"I'm just having a lot more fun because I know what I'm doing," he said. "Last year, it seemed like everything came at once, so it was kind of hard. But now it's moving a lot slower, I'm picking up things a lot faster, and that makes it easier. It just makes me feel more secure. I don't have to worry when I'm on the sideline, 'What do I have to do? Where do I line up?' ..."
Ram-blings
Martz said the Rams had received reports on the recent injury evaluations that tackle Kyle Turley (back) and center Dave Wohlabaugh (center) have had. Martz indicated that he wanted to talk to both players before commenting publicly on the contents of the reports. ... Martz turned down what he termed "serious lobbying" by guard Adam Timmerman and defensive end Tyoka Jackson to allow the veterans to leave Macomb for St. Louis on Wednesday night.
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