By Jim Thomas
Of the Post-Dispatch
11/17/2004
Rams offensive lineman Scott Tercero proved in 2004 that he could play in the NFL. Unfortunately, he's done playing for the season because of a shoulder injury that will require surgery.
Tercero was placed on injured reserve Tuesday, ending a season in which he rocketed up the depth chart with a surprisingly strong showing in the preseason and started four regular-season games at left guard.
"I would've loved to have finished the season," Tercero said. "But to get to play in the first half of the season was great. I got some experience under my belt, and I'm going to try to take it from here and put that into next season."
With Chris Dishman expected to miss this week's game in Buffalo because of a knee injury, it looks like Tom Nutten will start for the Rams at left guard, the position he manned from 1999 through 2002 in St. Louis, including two Super Bowl starts.
Tercero, a sixth-round pick by the Rams in 2003 from California, spent most of his rookie season on the practice squad. But with the encouragement of Rams coaches, who told him he had the potential to play in the NFL, Tercero worked on getting bigger and stronger in the offseason.
"I think that was probably one of the biggest knocks against me, that I was undersized," said Tercero, who's listed at 6-4, 303 pounds.
The work apparently paid off. With
Orlando Pace missing all of the preseason in a contract impasse, Tercero started all four exhibition games at offensive tackle, displaying quick feet and good agility.
"That first preseason game, I was really nervous because I had a lot to prove - not only to the management and the (coaching) staff, but to myself that I could play at this level," Tercero said. "You really don't know that, until you put your hand in the dirt and you actually do play."
Once the regular season began, he took over for the injured Dishman at left guard with starts against San Francisco (Oct. 3), Seattle (Oct. 10), Tampa Bay (Oct. 18) and Miami (Oct. 24).
But almost as soon as he began playing, the injuries started mounting. Tercero suffered a broken bone in his left hand against the ***** but kept playing even though he had to wear a cast and at times appeared to be blocking almost one-handed.
Then came a nagging right shoulder injury that couldn't be overcome. Tercero missed some time against New England and was on the pregame inactive list Sunday against Seattle because of the shoulder problem. But he can't recall exactly when or how he initially suffered the injury.
"It's something that's been bothering me for the last few weeks," Tercero said. "It was starting to get progressively worse, to the point where I made a decision that I wouldn't be able to play effectively."
An MRI showed that Tercero had a torn labrum in the shoulder. He spent part of his day Tuesday trying to set up surgery later this week.
"It's going to be tough to be on sidelines and watch," Tercero said. "I'm going to build from this year and try to do better next year, and hopefully play a lot more, if not start."
The Rams filled Tercero's spot on the roster Tuesday by promoting linebacker Drew Wahlroos from the practice squad. Walhroos, 6-3, 235 pounds, played his college ball at Colorado and could be used to help out on special teams. The Rams almost promoted him to the active roster two weeks ago. But because of a sprained ankle by tight end Cameron Cleeland, Mike Brake got the promotion instead to provide insurance at the position.
Brake spent a week on the active roster leading up to the New England game before being released. He has been re-signed to the practice squad. But the Rams still have a vacancy to fill on the practice squad because defensive lineman D.J. Renteria has been released from the squad. Practice squad members practice with the team but cannot play in games.
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