By Bill Coats
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
12/07/2006
Adeyanju 'has a chance'
If it weren't the Bears coming to town, or if the setting were different, Rams defensive end Victor Adeyanju might not be so eager.
But, "being from Chicago, my rookie year, 'Monday Night Football' ... it's a dream of mine," Adeyanju said. Which explains why he just might play Monday, barely two weeks after breaking his right forearm.
Adeyanju, injured Nov. 26 vs. San Francisco, did limited work at practice Wednesday and "looked like he has a chance," Linehan said. "I didn't notice that he was favoring it or that it was a problem. I don't think after one day you can make a decision, but he's very willing."
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Despite his zeal, Adeyanju is remaining practical. "I don't want to hurt the team or anything like that," he said. "I want to make sure I'm able to go out there and have confidence in my arm and try to get after it. ... We'll know by Friday."
Adeyanju was listed as questionable Wednesday on the week's first injury report, as were safeties Oshiomogho Atogwe (concussion) and Jerome Carter (ankle), and cornerback
Tye Hill (thigh).
Listed as probable were quarterback
Marc Bulger (ribs), wide receivers Kevin Curtis (calf) and
Torry Holt (knee), running back Stephen Davis (hamstring), fullback Paul Smith (neck) and guard Adam Timmerman (ribs). All practiced Wednesday.
Linebacker Isaiah Kacyvenski (concussion), who sat out Sunday's game, was doubtful.
Watching and waiting are tough on rookie
Rookie linebacker Jon Alston shares a distinction with second-year quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick that makes him wince at the thought of it. "It's a very frustrating situation," Alston said.
He and Fitzpatrick hold the Rams' lead in number of times on the game-day inactive list, at a "perfect" 12. But at least Fitzpatrick, as the No. 3 quarterback behind
Marc Bulger and Gus Frerotte, gets to suit up.
Clad in street clothes, the 6-foot, 221-pound Alston can only watch from the sideline as his teammates do weekly battle. It's not a position the Stanford product figured he would be in when the Rams took him with their second selection in the third round (No. 77 overall) of the draft.
"You get angry, because you just feel like you got thrown away and you get forgotten," Alston said. "But I still love coming here to work, because it's an opportunity to become a better football player. At the end of the day, my skill is a product, and even if I'm not out there showing it, I can still increase the value of that product."
Alston has been trying to make up ground since missing all the organized team activities, which basically are light practices in the spring, plus the full-squad minicamp in June. Because Stanford is on a quarter system and its seniors had not graduated, NFL rules barred Alston from participating.
"It's hard to catch up; rookies tend to take time," coach
Scott Linehan said. "And he's in a position where we've been relatively healthy, especially at the outside backer spot."
Now, though, Alston believes that he has made up for lost time.
"At the beginning of the season, I wasn't ready or as comfortable as I should've been coming in," he acknowledged. "But as time has progressed ... I feel like each day I get better and better. So, when my time does come, I think that I'll be able to contribute in a very positive manner."
Although Linehan conceded that Alston is "getting closer," he might not play this season. Still, Alston said he would be ready to play tomorrow, if asked.
"Oh, man, I'd be more than excited. I have so much fire, so much fuel," he said. "When it's my turn and I deserve that opportunity, I'm going to take it and run with it."
Ram-blings
Larry Frost, who guided Kirkwood to its first state championship game, is the Rams' high school football coach of the year. He was selected from a group of 10 who were honored as the team's coaches of the week. The Pioneers lost to Raymore-Peculiar 42-32 in the Class 5 title game. The Rams Foundation and NFL Charities will make a $2,000 donation to Kirkwood's football program. ... The Rams are 9-6 on "Monday Night Football" since moving here in 1995.
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