Jackson, Smith Remain On Sideline During Practice/Null Gets Reps With First Team

[r8rh8rmike]

12.09.2009 3:30 pm
Jackson, Smith remain on sideline during practice
By Bill Coats
St. Louis Post-Dispatch


The newest St. Louis Rams, safety Clinton Hart and quarterback Mike Reilly were on the practice field Wednesday. But again, running back Steven Jackson and tackle Jason Smith were not.

Jackson hasn’t practiced in more than two weeks because of a sore back. Smith has been out since suffering a concussion Nov. 22 vs. the Cardinals. Smith met with an independent neurological consultant Tuesday and underwent an MRI exam, which showed no further issues. He still must pass him follow-up neuro exam and be cleared by the independent consultant and the team doctors before getting back on the field.

Notes & quotes:

*WR Donnie Avery (shoulder), QB Kyle Boller (thigh), FB Mike Karney (neck), LB James Laurinaitis (shoulder) and DT Darell Scott (neck) got in limited work.

*Avery wore a shoulder harness to start practice but took it off because it was bothering him. “I’ve just got to get used to it,” he said.

*With Boller a bit gimpy, backup QB Keith Null took more reps than unusal with the first unit. “They hear his voice, he gets under center with the starting group. All of that’s going to be a foundation or an investment for him, no question,” coach Steve Spagnuolo explained.

*Justin King got most of the snaps with the starters at CB, but Spagnuolo said Quincy Butler will share those duties Sunday at Tennessee.

*This weeks captains are T/G Adam Goldberg (offense), DT Clifton Ryan (defense) and S David Roach (special teams).

[RamsFan16]

My goodness, the news about Jason Smith is very alarming. 3 weeks with a concussion? There has got to be more in this than they're saying.

[01d 0rd3r]

My goodness, the news about Jason Smith is very alarming. 3 weeks with a concussion? There has got to be more in this than they're saying.

They said he passed his exam he just has to pass the follow up, i think he is fine now.

Edit: And just how gimpy is boller? Are we throwing null into the fire here. Hope he does good if he plays.

[rammiser]

They said he passed his exam he just has to pass the follow up, i think he is fine now.

Edit: And just how gimpy is boller? Are we throwing null into the fire here. Hope he does good if he plays.

Could Null do much worse than Boller at this point?

[Mooselini]

Concussions are things you can't mess with. If it really mattered, I'd sit him until he is 100%. No matter what circumstances there are, sit him until he is fully healthy. Can't be playing around with concussions.

As for Null, I really hope we get to see him. The guy has seen our team being decimated all year long. I'm sure he wants a chance. I hope he gets it.

[RebelYell]

They had Hanifan on 101.1 last night and Farr asked him (I think it was Farr) whether the spread offense / shotgun only QB thing should be a factor. I don't remember the exact words but it sort of went "no. if you are a professional athlete, you should be able to take a few steps backwards without falling down".

I understand it takes time but the kid needs to see some live action if he wants to develop. It is of paramount importance that a rookie QB get playing time to aid in his development during his first offseason. He doesn't have to perform well, he just needs the experience.

Another thing Hanifan said was that he told Farr that the Rams defense in 1998 was horrible. Farr laughed and said that until he was told that by the coach, he thought the defense was actually pretty good.

[PeoriaRam]

Could Null do much worse than Boller at this point?

Boller hasn't been racking up that many turnovers, nor has he panicked utterly in the pocket.

So yeah...those are two fields right there than Null could do worse than Boller in.

[BEER]

Boller hasn't been racking up that many turnovers, nor has he panicked utterly in the pocket.

So yeah...those are two fields right there than Null could do worse than Boller in.

How do you know? Maybe Null does better in those situations..... The answer is, we dont know yet.

[RockinRam]

Boller hasn't been racking up that many turnovers, nor has he panicked utterly in the pocket.

So yeah...those are two fields right there than Null could do worse than Boller in.

He's averaged two turnovers a game every game he's played for us...

He's very uncomfortable when dealing with pressure, and finds ways to get sacked. Never looks downfield, and instead, runs right into the defensive linemen...

[PeoriaRam]

And Chris Chandler nearly averaged 1 a quarter.

The point remains, Boller is not the biggest turnover machine to play for the Rams.

[RockinRam]

And Chris Chandler nearly averaged 1 a quarter.

The point remains, Boller is not the biggest turnover machine to play for the Rams.

That's not the point of what is being said.

We're not arguing whether or not Boller is the biggest turnover machine to play for the Rams...

What we're saying is that Boller's performance does not guarantee him a starting spot, and his skills might not be the one that gives us the most chance of winning a game...

[GolfnRAMFAN]

Boller hasn't been racking up that many turnovers, nor has he panicked utterly in the pocket.

So yeah...those are two fields right there than Null could do worse than Boller in.

His turnovers are either in the Red Zone or are returned for touchdowns... thats bad!

[r8rh8rmike]

His turnovers are either in the Red Zone or are returned for touchdowns... thats bad!

Yeah, Boller's been pretty bad. He now has 9 turnovers in 18 quarters, with 4 of them returned for TD's and 3 happening in the red zone.

I'm not sure Null could do much worse.

[RAMFANRAIDERHATER]

I say start Null. Because it cannot be worse then Boller. We have lost ALL of our games with Boller. How much worse can it get than that?

Let the kid play, let him throw some deep and take some freakin' chances. Playin' conservative and not being a turnover machine isn't getting it done, so what the hell do you have to lose? Take some chances Spags. Give the guys something to play for.

[PeoriaRam]

Yeah, Boller's been pretty bad. He now has 9 turnovers in 18 quarters, with 4 of them returned for TD's and 3 happening in the red zone.

I'm not sure Null could do much worse.

If the 2007-2009 Rams have taught me anything, it is that they can always find a way to do much worse. My capacity for optimism about anybody on this team not named Steven Jackson, James Laurinitis, and Chris Long is absolutely 100% SHOT.

Boller has an average QB rating this season of 63. 33 passers in the league have worse ratings than that! Boller, with one exception, has been able to successfully hand off the ball to Jackson every time a run was called-past recollections of Tony Banks point out that not all QBs can successfully hand off a ball with that consistency.

So yes, it is very, very, VERY possible for Null to do worse. Especially considering that we have a pretty good Tennessee defense on tap this week.

To reiterate-this is a guy who played in a fundamentally different offensive system against defenses that were 3-4 levels worse than your typical NFL defense. That is a recipe for disaster. By the same token, Null played in a program 3-4 levels worse than your typical NFL offense. If you're playing QB at a Division II school, you 1) are a literal idiot who can't even academically qualify for a Division I-AA school 2) suck (relatively) 3) committed some (multiple perhaps) horrific felony that left you radioactive for even Division I-AA programs.

Since point 3 violates at least 1 pillar, we can assume that is not the case, but we're still left with points 1 and 2. There is a reason why Null, and now Reilly, are the only two Division II QBs in the NFL. It's because there are much better QBs out there.

Additionally, he's a rookie. Rookies can be counted on to sometimes make poor decisions, throw picks, or generally make mistakes in the best of situations. This Rams offense is among the worst of situations.

-------------------------------------

Spags seems horrified at the thought of playing Null. That's reason enough for me to settle with Boller at the moment. If we really want a temporary Boller replacement, I would suggest directing complaints towards one Chip Rosenbloom.