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  • #1

    Little injures knee at practice

    From The PD site,Bill Coats:

    St. Louis Rams defensive end Leonard Little suffered what is believed to be a sprained right knee at Monday morning’s practice. Little went down in a 9-on-7 run-game drill and was helped off the field. After several minutes, he returned to the action but came out again, obviously upset. An ice wrap was taped to his knee.
    “We just wanted to shut him down and be careful,” coach Steve Spagnuolo said.
    More later…


    So much for his hurdling RBs. Good grief....
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Re: Little injures knee at practice

    Hopefully there is not much to it.
    :ramlogo:

    Comment

    • #3
      Re: Little injures knee at practice

      Hopefully not, but if there is, it's time to look elsewhere for our DE needs. This would mark the third straight year that Little battled a fairly significant injury. These sprained knees offer linger, turn out to be more severe ligament and tendon issues, and worst case end up as tears ...

      Given the young team we have, we can't afford to sit around and wait for Little to get healthy. We've got to start preparing other DE's to man the reigns and learn to become effective ...

      This is very worrisome, as it eliminates the bulk of the pressure we get off the edge. Truly unfortunate to see, as Little was said to be in great shape and had some nice burst. He definitely seemed to have alot left in the tank ...

      Comment

      • #4
        Re: Little injures knee at practice

        Originally posted by RamsInfiniti View Post
        Hopefully not, but if there is, it's time to look elsewhere for our DE needs. This would mark the third straight year that Little battled a fairly significant injury. These sprained knees offer linger, turn out to be more severe ligament and tendon issues, and worst case end up as tears ...

        Given the young team we have, we can't afford to sit around and wait for Little to get healthy. We've got to start preparing other DE's to man the reigns and learn to become effective ...

        This is very worrisome, as it eliminates the bulk of the pressure we get off the edge. Truly unfortunate to see, as Little was said to be in great shape and had some nice burst. He definitely seemed to have alot left in the tank ...

        Agreed the older you get the more injuries occurs. At this late stage the only thing we can do is search the wavers wires. Nobody is going to trade a pass rushing DE and I don’t know if anyone else is out there.
        :ramlogo:

        Comment

        • #5
          Re: Little injures knee at practice

          After several minutes, he returned to the action but came out again, obviously upset. An ice wrap was taped to his knee.
          I know it's only an observation from Coats, but it always worries me when older players look "obviously upset" about an injury because they know when there's a chance something significant has occured. Hopefully it's not anything serious, but Little's recent history with injuries has not been good. Keeping my fingers crossed.

          Comment

          • #6
            Re: Little injures knee at practice

            Originally posted by r8rh8rmike View Post
            I know it's only an observation from Coats, but it always worries me when older players look "obviously upset" about an injury because they know when there's a chance something significant has occured. Hopefully it's not anything serious, but Little's recent history with injuries has not been good. Keeping my fingers crossed.
            My sentiments exactly. When you see veterans visibly upset about an injury, it's usually because they know it's trouble. That was the most worrying part of the article to me.

            Comment

            • #7
              Re: Little injures knee at practice

              Ugh!

              Even if LL returns to "100%" in two or three weeks, I'm afraid he'll be carrying a FRAGILE label. The Rams coaches and Little himself know far better than I do, obviously; it's just my fear from doubting that LL would remain healthy throughout the season, let alone last as a starter.

              Comment

              • #8
                Re: Little injures knee at practice

                He's been having a nice camp so far, he get's injured and of course he's upset. Putting in extra time training, then having a nice camp will make any player upset if an injury occurs. Why throw him under the bus before we know the extent of the injury ?? Sheesh !!!! Too many Dooms day, Nay sayers ready to write off a players contribution to the 2009 seasons.

                Bulger breaks pinky......... he's done, he sucks, we should have drafted Sanchez.

                Little has sprained knee......... he's too old, injury prone, washed up and a liability to the team.

                How about the power of positive thinking here folks. Let's wait for the MRI before we send him off with an injury settlement !!!!

                Maineram -

                Comment

                • #9
                  Re: Little injures knee at practice

                  Originally posted by maineram View Post
                  He's been having a nice camp so far, he get's injured and of course he's upset. Putting in extra time training, then having a nice camp will make any player upset if an injury occurs. Why throw him under the bus before we know the extent of the injury ?? Sheesh !!!! Too many Dooms day, Nay sayers ready to write off a players contribution to the 2009 seasons.

                  Bulger breaks pinky......... he's done, he sucks, we should have drafted Sanchez.

                  Little has sprained knee......... he's too old, injury prone, washed up and a liability to the team.

                  How about the power of positive thinking here folks. Let's wait for the MRI before we send him off with an injury settlement !!!!


                  Maineram -
                  Dude, I just said it worried me, which is does. That's the feeling I get when I see veterans "visibly upset" after an injury, especially when they have a bad injury history. I'm simply voicing that observation. Believe me, as I mentioned in my post, I'm hoping it's nothing serious and keeping my fingers crossed.

                  Comment

                  • #10
                    Re: Little injures knee at practice

                    Leonard remains the only legit pass rusher on the entire team. We really need him back. Do we need to get younger at the position and develop alternatives? Absolutely. That was part of the theory behind drafting chris long. But leonard is a very very tough guy to replace. One of the five most underated nfl players of the last ten years.

                    We really need him back and healthy.

                    ramming speed to all

                    general counsel

                    Comment

                    • #11
                      Re: Little injures knee at practice

                      This sucks. Hope he's back by week one...

                      Comment

                      • #12
                        Re: Little injures knee at practice

                        From Fanball:

                        Aug 24, 2009 08:44 PM CDT
                        Little returns to practice

                        The News
                        Updating an earlier report, Leonard Little returned for Monday's afternoon practice with the Rams, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

                        Our View
                        Little suffered a sprained ankle in the morning session, but it appears to be minor. He may take it easy for the remainder of the preseason, but should be safe to target in fantasy leagues.
                        This space for rent...

                        Comment

                        • #13
                          Re: Little injures knee at practice

                          Originally posted by General Counsel View Post

                          We really need him back and healthy.

                          Ramming speed to all

                          General Counsel
                          "...And healthy" is my concern. Maybe because of his age I'm anticipating that 'F R A G I L E' label I alluded to earlier. Of course, I want to see him having a strong, consistent 2009 year -- there's no doubt we really need him back!

                          He will get all the necessary medical attention, for sure. But again, I only hope it serves him well and that he in turn will serve the defense well.

                          :helmet:

                          Comment

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                          • RamWraith
                            Little is prepared to make big impact
                            by RamWraith
                            By Jim Thomas
                            ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
                            Thursday, Jul. 31 2008

                            MEQUON, WIS. — As injuries have mounted all around him during the first week of
                            training camp, Leonard Little's surgically repaired toe hasn't flinched.

                            Through nine practices over six days — with most of the work done on
                            unforgiving artificial turf — Little says he has yet to need treatment on the
                            toe. He feels a little soreness now and then, but that hasn't prevented him
                            from going about his business from practice to practice at Concordia University
                            Wisconsin as he prepares for his 11th NFL season.

                            "I think Leonard looks just like he did two years ago," defensive coordinator
                            Jim Haslett said. "I'm excited about it, because Leonard two years ago had 12˝
                            sacks, and we really never had a presence on the other side.

                            "So now you add Chris (Long) to it and James (Hall) and get Victor (Adeyanju)
                            back, and I think Leonard's going to have a great year."

                            Little, who actually had 13 sacks two years ago, is planning on nothing less.
                            Over a six-year period from 2001 to 2006, Little was one of the game's most
                            feared pass-rushers, averaging 11 1/2 sacks per season. Then came the toe
                            injury last season, robbing him of his quick get-off, and limiting him to only
                            one sack before landing on the injured reserve list at midseason.

                            At age 33, it looked like the injury might be career-threatening, but Little
                            never viewed it that way.

                            "I didn't ever think it was going to be an issue," Little said. "But everyone
                            else did. I just had to rehab it, and do the things I needed to do to get back
                            to 100 percent. I think it's real close to that right now."

                            Little says his body always has responded well to surgery. In college at
                            Tennessee, he recovered impressively from ACL and MCL surgery in his knee. As
                            painful as the toe injury was last season, Little said he was confident surgery
                            would make it right.

                            "It's just a toe," he said. "It stopped me from being the explosive player that
                            I normally was. But I know how my body reacts to stuff like this. I knew if I
                            got it fixed, my body would react in a positive way."

                            As early as the spring organized team activities in May and early June, Little
                            said he felt he had his old quickness back. And that was even when the Rams'
                            training staff was bringing him along slowly.

                            So far in training camp, his practice reps have been limited to some extent,
                            but he's still getting a lot of work.

                            "I know what it takes to be successful," Little said. "Hopefully, I can stay
                            injury-free and play like I did (before) or better."

                            As he has progressed...
                            -07-31-2008, 04:08 AM
                          • RamWraith
                            Season appears finished for Little
                            by RamWraith
                            By Jim Thomas
                            ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
                            Tuesday, Nov. 06 2007

                            Two weeks off did nothing to help Leonard Little's injured toe. The
                            pass-rushing defensive end is headed for season-ending surgery and is expected
                            to go on the injured reserve list today.

                            "It's still very painful," coach Scott Linehan said. "He has a hard time
                            getting his shoe on. By (today) we'll make a final decision on that. But it
                            doesn't look real good right now."

                            Little visited one of the nation's top foot specialists, Dr. Robert Anderson,
                            in Charlotte, N.C., during the Rams' bye week.

                            "It obviously didn't go very well," Little said. "We pretty much knew what
                            (Anderson) was going to say anyway. We tried to give it two weeks for it to
                            heal back up. It just never did respond like it was supposed to."

                            Little has been bothered by the toe injury much of the season. But he
                            aggravated it Oct. 14 in Baltimore, with further testing revealing that he had
                            a torn ligament in his left big toe. He played the following week in Seattle,
                            but on a more limited basis than usual. Little then sat out the Cleveland game
                            Oct. 28 and had the bye week off as well. But the toe did not improve.

                            On Monday, as the Rams returned from their bye, Little had trouble getting a
                            shoe on over the swollen toe and was in such discomfort that he quickly
                            discarded shoes for shower clogs in the locker room.

                            "I can't wear shoes for a long period of time," Little said. "It was a deal
                            where the doctor said it couldn't heal on its own, and it wasn't going to feel
                            any better if I did come back and try to play."

                            Little had been hoping to postpone the surgery until after the season, but it's
                            apparent now that that's not going to work.

                            "It hurts to walk around, so there's no way in the world I can even consider
                            going out and trying to play football with something I can't walk around with,"
                            Little said. "If it was a sprain, believe me, I'd still be playing. If it was
                            turf toe, I'd still be playing. It's way more severe than that."

                            Little said the recovery time from surgery is four to six months, so he's
                            trying to get the surgery over with as quickly as possible to give him plenty
                            of time to get ready for the 2008 season.

                            The most likely replacement for Little is defensive end Eric Moore, who spent
                            the first week of the regular season on the active roster but has been on the
                            practice squad since Sept. 19.

                            The Rams' injured reserve list already has five players: offensive tackle
                            Orlando Pace, offensive guard Mark Setterstrom, guard-tackle Adam Goldberg,
                            safety Jerome Carter and linebacker Raonall...
                            -11-06-2007, 05:39 AM
                          • RamWraith
                            Big toe causes big problems for Little
                            by RamWraith
                            By Jim Thomas
                            ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
                            Thursday, Nov. 01 2007

                            In the Year of the Injury for the St. Louis Rams, it figures.

                            Defensive end Leonard Little finally got his first sack of the season, forcing
                            a fumble in the process against Baltimore on Oct. 14. But he aggravated a
                            nagging toe injury on the play, to the point where he needs surgery and may not
                            be able to finish the season.

                            "I came around on the sack, and it got caught on the turf," Little recalled. "I
                            felt it give way a little bit."

                            Little didn't think much of it at the time. But as he watched from the sideline
                            with the Rams' offense on the field, the toe kept throbbing. Turns out Little
                            suffered a torn ligament in the big toe on his left foot.

                            Surgery is needed, but Little wants to play through the pain and postpone the
                            operation until after the season. Whether that's realistic remains to be seen.
                            Even before the rest of the squad had been dismissed for the bye week, Little
                            was in Charlotte, N.C., on Tuesday, visiting Dr. Robert Anderson, one of the
                            nation's top foot specialists.

                            "I already know I'm going to (need) surgery, but I want to know if it can get
                            well enough where I can be effective on it, and play on it," Little said,
                            before leaving for Charlotte.

                            For a speed rusher such as Little, the first couple of steps off the line of
                            scrimmage are critical. But it's hard to do much if your big toe is swollen.

                            "That's where I make my living, with my legs — how I get off the ball," Little
                            said. "If you have an injury of that sort, you can't really be effective."

                            The toe had been bothering him for much of the season. But until Baltimore,
                            Little had been able to manage the injury. He got the toe taped before games
                            and took anti-inflammatory pills to keep the swelling down.

                            "But that (Baltimore) game, I guess it couldn't take any more," Little said.

                            The sack against the Ravens ended the second-longest sackless streak of
                            Little's 10-year NFL career: five games. (He went six games without a sack in
                            2005, and six without a sack in 1999, when he was mainly a special teams
                            player.)

                            The toe injury undoubtedly slowed him down even before Baltimore, but Little
                            had been coming on lately. By unofficial count, he had 5 1/2 quarterback hits
                            against Arizona, and four against Baltimore.

                            "I was kind of warming up," Little said. "I was really starting to feel like I
                            was doing things right, rushing pretty good, and playing pretty good."

                            After aggravating the injury in Baltimore, Little tried to play the following
                            week in Seattle but wasn't effective....
                            -11-01-2007, 05:36 AM
                          • RamWraith
                            Little to have surgery, miss rest of season
                            by RamWraith
                            November 5, 2007

                            ST. LOUIS (AP) -- St. Louis Rams defensive end Leonard Little will have surgery this week to repair a torn ligament in his left big toe, ending his season.

                            Meanwhile, guard Richie Incognito said Monday he'll have surgery this week on his dislocated kneecap, and is expected to miss four to six weeks.

                            Little disclosed plans for the surgery Monday as the Rams, at 0-8 off to the worst start in franchise history, returned from a bye week.

                            "It isn't the type of injury where it will heal on its own," Little said. "If that was the case, then it should have felt a lot better by now. Surgery is the only way to repair the ligament."

                            Dr. Robert Anderson, the team orthopedist for the Carolina Panthers, will perform the operation. Rehabilitation is expected to take four to six months.

                            Little sprained the toe when his left foot was caught in the turf in a 22-3 loss at Baltimore on Oct. 14. The injury made it difficult for Little to push off on the pass rush. He visited Anderson in North Carolina during the bye week to discuss options.

                            "We pretty much knew what he was going to say," Little said. "We tried to give it two weeks for it to heal back up, but it never responded like it's supposed to."

                            Little is the team's all-time sacks leader, but was off to a slow start even before the injury. The 10th-year player has just one sack, against Baltimore's Kyle Boller. He had 13 last season, second most in his career, and he was a Pro Bowl alternate.

                            Incognito was hurt when the knee popped out of place in the first quarter of a loss to Cleveland on Oct. 28. The diagnosis was a partial dislocation with cartilage damage.

                            Running back Steven Jackson might play Sunday at New Orleans. Jackson was sidelined for a month with a groin injury, then played the first quarter against the Browns before developing back spasms and missing the rest of the game.

                            "Steven looks good. He feels a lot better," coach Scott Linehan said. "I think having some time off and being able to calm that down a little bit was real good for him. He did some conditioning today. We'll start him back in and do some light work on Wednesday."
                            -11-05-2007, 02:41 PM
                          • MauiRam
                            Little still sees himself as an every down player ..
                            by MauiRam
                            Aug. 2, 2009

                            The Associated Press.
                            ST. LOUIS (AP) -Leonard Little feels he's much more than a third-down pass rusher for the St. Louis Rams.

                            After Sunday morning's full-pad practice at Rams Park, Little insisted he still can be an every-down defensive end.

                            "I'll always be an everyday player if I'm healthy," Little said. "I don't know where people get this thing where, you know, that I'm just a third-down player. I've been playing every down since I've been starting."

                            But with a new coaching staff headed by Steve Spagnuolo, Little knows things have changed. All he has to do is look around.

                            Little is the only player left from the 1999 and 2001 Super Bowl teams, surviving three coaching changes. The 34-year-old, who was a third-round draft pick in 1998, is heading into his 12th season.

                            "It's tremendously valuable to have that kind of experience and leadership," Spagnuolo said. "It's an important position on defense."

                            Little acknowledged it's strange not to have Torry Holt and Orlando Pace - both released in recent months - around anymore.

                            "I miss the guys," Little said. "You know, we won a lot of games together and we went through a lot of stuff together. It's different because you're used to being around those guys for so long. It takes a little time to get used to it but you've got to realize this is the NFL and stuff like that will happen. You have to adjust to it the best way you can and go out here and play regardless of what happens."

                            Admitting he was nervous it could happen to him, Little said he was prepared for whatever happened.

                            "You never know what's going to happen next," said Little, who is in the last year of a renegotiated contract he signed in 2006. "I knew I could be next."

                            He didn't need to worry though. Spagnuolo liked what he saw from Little on tape and wanted to keep him.

                            "In all the evaluations we did, he was part of the plan," Spagnuolo said. "So far, so good."

                            The Rams recently signed defensive tackle Hollis Thomas, who turned 35 in January. That move made Little happy.

                            "I'm not the oldest guy on the team no more so that's good," Little said laughing. "I told him he could be the grandpa around here."

                            Little had six sacks and two forced fumbles to go along with 18 tackles, but played hurt for the second straight season last year. A hamstring injury slowed him, and he didn't start in the season finale at Atlanta. He also sat out during the minicamps.

                            He's healed now and ready to go for the upcoming season.

                            "I'm fine," Little said. "I'll be fine as long as I keep my body in good condition and stay injury free. I'll do anything they want...
                            -08-02-2009, 10:57 PM
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