Jackson ready to see some game action ..

[MauiRam]

BY BILL COATS
Saturday, August 20, 2011 12:05 am


Rams running back Steven Jackson missed a couple of days of practice this week with a sore hip that he injured "getting out of bed."

OK, Jackson was only joking. He doesn't really how he hurt the hip, but he assured that it's no big deal. "We just took the approach of being probably a little over cautious than we probably should have," he said. "But it's better to go that route than allow something small like this to become nagging. So we just decided to ... let it calm down."

Jackson was back on the practice field Thursday and although he didn't participate in Friday's walk-through, he intends to play in tonight's preseason contest against Tennessee at the Edward Jones Dome.

"I'm not quite sure the number of reps or how long I'll be in there," Jackson said Thursday. "But definitely the plan is to go, to start getting me comfortable with the offense in a game situation."

The hip problem surfaced a day or two after Jackson sat out last Saturday's 33-10 preseason win over Indianapolis. Cadillac Williams, Jerious Norwood and Keith Toston handled the running back chores.

Jackson said he'd like to play as long as the first unit is in, which could be the entire first quarter or even a little more.

"I would like to … get comfortable with (right guard Harvey) Dahl, get comfortable with the play calling ... have (quarterback) Sam (Bradford) in the huddle with me," Jackson said. "Just go through the routine of a game ... gel with the offense, the offensive line and make sure that I'm seeing things and hitting things like I want to."

The 6-foot-2, 236-pound Jackson, 28, is coming off his sixth consecutive 1,000-yards-plus rushing season. His 1,241 yards last season was the third-highest total of his seven NFL seasons.

Jackson, who played in every game last year for the first time in four seasons, is looking for even bigger numbers in the new offense that coordinator Josh McDaniels has introduced.

"I'm very excited about where we are going as an offense. I'm very excited about what Coach McDaniels brings to our ability, especially in the red zone," Jackson said. "I'm anticipating a big year, not only for myself but the team as well … hopefully get over the hump and get back into the postseason."

The arrival of the veterans Williams and Norwood via free agency should help him thrive, Jackson emphasized.

"On game day, coming back to the sideline I'm going to be able to have some guys that have been, if not a starter, a key player in the position," he said. "They know what a defense may try to present to me. They might see something that I may not see on the field. They can help me out, whereas years previous I didn't have that guy to lean on and ask him what he saw from a player's perspective. …

"One thing about our group (of backs), we're all very supportive of one another and I think we all have a great deal of respect for one another."

HOOMANAWANUI IS back

The injury bug bit again for tight end Michael Hoomanawanui, who was limited to eight games last year as a rookie because of a pair of ankle sprains. This time the malady was a concussion, which kept Hoomanawanui out of training camp for a week.

But he's back now and, like Jackson, looking forward to seeing some game action tonight.

"It feels great to be back out here after missing some time," Hoomanawanui said. "Especially learning a new offense, it's tough. But I was able to get the mental reps, so I think I picked up right where I left off. I'm just glad to be out there with the guys again."

Hoomanawanui was exiled to his hotel room for a few days before his symptoms subsided. "It's frustrating, just like any other injury," he said.

Ram-blings

Jacob Bell (knee) didn't take part in Friday's walk-through, which means that Hank Fraley probably will start at left guard tonight. … The Titans won their preseason opener under new coach Mike Munchak, 14-3 over Minnesota.

[Azul e Oro]

Fraley,huh? That's interesting...

[MauiRam]

Fraley,huh? That's interesting...

I wondered about that too ..

1) Is Bell legitimately dinged?

2) Is this a button pushing exercise by the coaches as in: Light a fire under Bells posterior?

3) Is this a full fledged audition for Hank to step into the starting lineup?

Thoughts .. ??

[Azul e Oro]

I wondered about that too ..

1) Is Bell legitimately dinged?

2) Is this a button pushing exercise by the coaches as in: Light a fire under Bells posterior?

3) Is this a full fledged audition for Hank to step into the starting lineup?

Thoughts .. ??

Bell's knee was noted earlier this week so I think it's legit. Who knows how serious, though. I found the Fraley thing interesting more because he gets the nod over Goldberg. I think Bell is still the incumbent; they really didn't save much for this year by renegotiating so I think The Rams still view him as the best option at LG right now but he has to prove it PDQ. Fraley is more of a bruiser, though, isn't he? So it'll be interesting to see how that pans out.

[Nick]

Jackson said he'd like to play as long as the first unit is in, which could be the entire first quarter or even a little more.

This sounds like a great approach to the third pre-season game, but for tonight, I'd rather ease him back in a little slower with a lighter workload. A few drives should be more than enough.

I found the Fraley thing interesting more because he gets the nod over Goldberg.

I get the feeling Goldberg is working exclusively on the right side at guard and tackle unless it's an absolute emergency, which this probably isn't.