By
Bill Coats
Of the Post-Dispatch
Saturday, Jul. 30 2005
A bruise, a bout and a boisterous crowd were the highlights of training camp
Saturday at Rams Park in Earth City.
First-team cornerback Jerametrius Butler sat out both practices after bruising
his right knee Thursday, the first day of training camp. The projection for
Butler's return is cloudy.
"Right now, it's day-to-day," Butler said. "Whenever I stop feeling pain,
that's when I'm going back out there. I'm going to try to go" Sunday.
Coach Mike Martz was less optimistic.
"It's nothing that's serious, but we're going to keep him out for maybe a week
or so, just try to calm that leg down," Martz said.
Butler, a five-year veteran from Kansas State, said he was injured trying to
cover wideout Isaac Bruce during "blitz period" drills. "I think I planted
wrong and I kind of stumbled on his heel or on his shoe and put too much
pressure on my knee," Butler said. He thought initially he had done more
significant damage, he said.
"It kind of scared me," Butler said. "It's frustrating, because I had a pretty
good offseason. I did more running and more lower-body work, and the injury
really kind of set me back. But ... it's getting better."
The first significant injury of camp preceded the first fight. Safety Adam
Archuleta and running back
Steven Jackson squared off after colliding during
team drills. The scuffle ended quickly with no harm to either player after
cornerback Dwight Anderson intervened.
The confrontation could have escalated "like setting a fire. It came as a
shock," Anderson said. "I just wanted to play some ball."
The skirmish was among a handful of highlights for the 1,386 fans who attended.
All morning practices are open to the public and free of charge.
They also enjoyed some fierce one-on-one competition between tackle Orlando
Pace and defensive end Anthony Hargrove, unusually spirited special-teams work
and a deft over-the-shoulder catch by wideout
Dane Looker on a long pass down
the right sideline.
"That ball seemed like it was in the air forever," Looker said. "When a deep
route's coming to you, it feels like it's in slow motion. You feel the
(defensive back) tugging on you, and you've just got to try to keep focused on
that ball and make the play. That time, I did."
At the end of the two-hour, full-pads workout, the spectators applauded
enthusiastically.
"It feels good to hear the fans cheering. It shows that they appreciate what we
do," wideout
Torry Holt said. "So you want to return the favor by making some
plays, making some catches, getting some sacks, making the throws, getting some
interceptions. I think we demonstrated quite a few of those things, and I think
the fans got what they came for.
"We appreciate their support. They're definitely helping us get through these
morning practices."
Food fight
Predictably, the quality of food at camp is a popular discussion topic among
the players. Several have grumbled that the somewhat limited fare this year
pales in comparison to the offerings at Western Illinois University's Thompson
Hall.
As he headed toward the buffet Saturday, Butler wasn't mincing any words. "The
Macomb food was a lot better," he groused. "I'm not looking forward to this
lunch right now."
Holt countered, however, by eagerly singing the praises of the catering crew
from a nearby hotel. "Oh, man, the food is fantastic," he said. "The Sheraton
Four Points, they're doing an absolutely fabulous job. The food is delicious."
Ram-blings
Reserve running back Dusty McGrorty's knee injury has been diagnosed as a
sprain. ... Undrafted rookies Dominic Robinson, a wide receiver from Florida
State, and Vontrell Jamison, a defensive end from Clemson, have shown flashes
of promise. ... Two-a-day practices are scheduled to continue through Friday.
The team will scrimmage at 7 p.m. Saturday at Washington University's Francis
Field. Admission is free.
Knee benches Butler; first scuffle occurs
[center]
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