St. Louis Rams Practice Squad: Danario Alexander Among Names That Will Be Sticking Around

Former Mizzou wide receiver Danario Alexander was among the players named to the St. Louis Rams’ practice squad this weekend, reports Jim Thomas. Alexander was signed by the club on August 23, and cut last week as the Rams whittled their roster to 53 men. Center Drew Miller and linebacker Mortty Ivy, lately of the Carolina Panthers’ practice squad, were also added.

Follow SB Nation St. Louis and Turf Show Times for all the latest practice squad updates.

St. Louis Rams Schedule: New-Look Rams Get Arizona Cardinals Week One

The St. Louis Rams face the Arizona Cardinals for the first of two meetings to kick off their 2010 schedule. With Kurt Warner prepared to commence Dancing with the Stars and Matt Leinart on the outs, it would be a good time for the Rams to continue their hot preseason start.

The remainder of the schedule:

St. Louis Rams Final Cuts: Mizzou Alum Danario Alexander Among Rams Cuts Saturday

Mizzou alum Danario Alexander, who flirted with and then finally joined the St. Louis Rams in training camp after dealing with knee injuries, was among the Rams’ final cuts Saturday.

Alexander was signed on August 23 after passing a phsyical and visiting Rams camp earlier that month.

St. Louis Rams Final Cuts: Thaddeus Lewis Edges Keith Null As Third Quarterback

Undrafted free agent Thaddeus Lewis bested Keith Null in the training camp contest to become the St. Louis Rams’ third-string quarterback Saturday afternoon. Null, who fell victim to final cuts, started four games for the Rams in 2009.

NFL Depth Chart: St. Louis Rams Move Toward Final Cuts, Kevin Payne's Ankle A Concern

The St. Louis Rams continued cutting today, according to the Post-Dispatch’s Jim Thomas, while wondering about safety and Turf Show Times blogger Kevin Payne’s return from last week’s ankle injury.

The four cuts—Jordan Kent, Brett Johnson, Darcy Johnson, and Tim Mottram—don’t come as a particularly large surprise. Kent appeared in five games for the Rams last year, making one reception; Darcy Johnson made four starts for the New York Giants at tight end in 2009.

NFL Depth Chart: St. Louis Rams Finish Cut Day, Waive OT Phil Trautwein

The St. Louis Rams got their roster down to 75 on NFL cut day by waiving injured OT Phil Trautwein, according to a tweet from Howard Balzer.

Trautwein, who’s had two stints with the Rams in his brief career, appeared in four games in 2009. He’s set to miss much of 2010 with a serious MCL sprain; he suffered the injury earlier this month when a teammate “fell on his knee.”

NFL Depth Chart: St. Louis Rams Begin Roster Cuts

NFL player cuts begin officially Tuesday, but the St. Louis Rams went from 80 players to 76 Monday night, leaving just one spot for the August 31 deadline. Much to their chagrin, wide receiver Donnie Avery was one fifth of the solution—he was officially moved to the injured reserve after tearing his ACL in Thursday’s preseason game.

The other cuts included CB Marcus Brown, OL Joe Gibbs, and FB Jamie McCoy. Turf Show Times speculates that the rest of the cuts could from the Rams’ overstocked defensive line.

Donnie Avery Out For Season With Torn ACL

St. Louis Rams wide receiver Donnie Avery hurt his knee in Thursday night's preseason game, though the severity of the injury wasn't initially clear.

According to the Rams' official Twitter account, however, it has been determined that Avery tore his ACL and will miss the entire upcoming season. 

SB Nation St. Louis will have more on this as it comes available, but this is bad news.

Donnie Avery: Knee Injury Might Cost Him Season

The St. Louis Rams beat the New England Patriots and might have gotten themselves a franchise quarterback in the deal, but Thursday’s preseason contest had one crucial casualty: number one receiver Donnie Avery, who might miss the season with a knee injury.

Immediately following the game Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo characterized it as "probably significant." Further tests will be performed Sunday to test the severity of the injury.

Sam Bradford To Start Thursday's Preseason Game For Rams

St. Louis Rams quarterback and No. 1 overall draft pick Sam Bradford will get the start Thursday against the New England Patriots.

The Post-Dispatch reports that A.J. Feeley, the Rams’ first-string quarterback, won’t be throwing a football any time soon.

Head coach Steve Spagnuolo remains adamant that Feeley is still the starter when he’s healthy, but says that “if we feel the guy that is behind the starter can do a better job, to me, that’s when you make the move,”no matter how long that might be.

Bradford is just 12-for-27 in three preseason appearances to this point, with 81 passing yards and no touchdowns. Feeley left last Saturday’s game with an injury to his throwing elbow.

A.J. Feeley Not Practicing; Will Sam Bradford Start At QB This Week?

St. Louis Rams quarterback A.J. Feeley is not practicing with the team this week, increasing the likelihood that No. 1 draft pick Sam Bradford will start at quarterback this week according to a report from the Associated Press.

Feeley underwent an MRI for a thumb injury and also has an elbow injury that he sustained in the first quarter Saturday at Cleveland.

With only two practices left before Thursday night’s game against New England, it seems likely that Bradford will get the start this week.

St. Louis Rams Training Camp: Steven Jackson, Jason Smith, Chris Long Among Fighters Tuesday

Tuesday the Rams’ frustration, for at least one day, mirrored the Rams fans—Steven Jackson, Jason Smith, and Chris Long were among the players mixing it up during practice Tuesday morning.

On ESPN Mike Sando gives a detailed summary and gets a money quote in return:

“You’re in a bad mood — you should be,” Long said. “We were 1-15 last year. We’re pissed off.”

Brandon Phillips could not be reached for comment.

St. Louis Rams Training Camp: Jason Smith, Ron Bartell Return To Action In Tuesday's Indoor Practice

Injured Rams Jason Smith and Ron Bartell returned to full-speed practice in Tuesday’s training camp action. The St. Louis Rams’ official website reports that nearly the entire practice was moved inside due to record August heat in St. Louis and nearby thunderstorms.

St. Louis Rams Training Camp: Steven Jackson Misses Scrimmage—Intentionally, At Least

Rams RB Steven Jackson didn’t participate in Saturday night’s scrimmage at Lindenwood University, but to Rams fans’ infinite relief it was all according to plan.

When the St. Louis Rams take the field for an intra-squad scrimmage tonight they’ll be without star running back Steven Jackson. Jackson had surgery during the offseason for a herniated disc in his back. However, he’s sitting out tonight as part of a plan from the training staff to give him 48 hours of rest after hitting it hard all week in practice. Jackson has been fine through practice this week, reporting no discomfort.

St. Louis Rams Training Camp: James Butler Suffers "An Extended" Knee Injury

Bill Coats reports that James Butler suffered what Steve Spagnuolo calls “an extended injury” during practice on Friday.

No word is yet available as to whether he’ll miss any regular season action.

St. Louis Rams Training Camp: Ron Bartell Day-To-Day With Ankle Sprain

X-Rays on Ron Bartell’s injured ankle proved negative, and the cornerback is day-to-day with what the team is calling a low ankle sprain. Bill Coats quotes Steve Spagnuolo as saying

“It’s a day-to-day thing,” Spagnuolo said. “That was really good news, because the way he fell down, you thought it was worse than it came out.”

St. Louis Rams Training Camp: Leonard Little Still A Notable No-Show

Turf Show Times notes that one player who hasn’t appeared in the Rams’ training camp to date—or on their roster, for that matter—is longtime defensive anchor Leonard Little.

But there’s one name missing from the mix: Leonard Little. One of the biggest concerns for a Rams defense that has the possibility to be a solid, but not impenetrable wall, is the lack of a consistent four-pronged pass rush from the front four. Yes, Chris Long looks to have emerged, but will he be as effective without more effective parts in the middle and on the other end? The balance on defense is delicate, or seems to be on paper, and a poor pass rush could be the thing that breaks it wide open. So where’s Leonard Little?

Little’s physical location is irrelevant, because it’s not at Rams Park. As of last week, the Rams had not “ruled him out.” That’s not the strongest endorsement.

At 35 Little is one of the last links to the Greatest Show On Turf, but he’s also a player whose utility and effectiveness is limited. But with the Rams covered in question marks on offense and defense, it’s odd to see him anywhere but on the sidelines.

St. Louis Rams Training Camp: CB Ron Bartell Injures Ankle

Bill Coats of STLToday.com reports that St. Louis Rams cornerback Ron Bartell was injured during training camp on Tuesday.

Ron Bartell, the St. Louis Rams’ top cornerback, suffered what appeared to be a significant right ankle injury in tonight’s practice. With aid, Bartell limped to the sideline, then was taken off on a cart.

A team spokesman said Bartell was taken for X-rays and that no more information was available yet on the extent of the injury.

St. Louis Rams Training Camp: Players Run In Triple-Digit Heat

Per Turf Show Times, the players aren’t letting the triple digit heat indices stop their newly manic conditioning regimen:

The heat index in St. Charles, MO, the approximate where St. Louis Rams are having their training camp, is a tepid 111 degrees. Needless to say, it’s impacting practice results a bit for the Rams players, but that’s not stopping them from being held accountable.

After a severe bout of false start penalties this morning, players jumping the gun were treated to a lap around the field, a consequence merited out by the players themselves. Steven Jackson took a lap himself.

St. Louis Rams Training Camp: LT Starter In Doubt? Rodger Saffold Plays Ahead Of Jason Smith

Jason Smith, last year’s second overall pick, might be losing playing time at left tackle to 2010 second rounder Rodger Saffold, according to a report at NFL.com. Smith has been limited by a stress fracture in his toe while Saffold takes additional reps at the position.

Turf Show Times isn’t quite so convinced. Ryan Van Bibber writes:

This NFL.com report makes it sound as though Rodger Saffold has leapfrogged Jason Smith for the LT spot. I think that’s a bit of a leap itself. Smith’s recovering from a broken toe and has dealt with three notable injuries through his first season and second preseason in the league now. The Rams want to make sure they have an acceptable sub on the left side should Smith be out of action. Maybe. Maybe I’m just giving too much benefit of the doubt to Smith.

Whatever happens, this should be one of the more intriguing battles in training camp.

St. Louis Rams Training Camp: Danario Alexander In Town, Not On Roster

Undrafted former Mizzou star Danario Alexander was at Rams training camp Monday afternoon, but only as a visitor; the injured wide receiver has passed a physical and will now move on to meet with the Seattle Seahawks, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Alexander and the Rams have both appeared to show interest, so hopes can still run high for St. Louis Tigers fans.

Rams Training Camp Schedule: Hot Times In Earth City

On the Rams' official website you'll find the team's public Training Camp schedule. Here's a rundown of the options for fans ready to make the trek to Earth City: 

St. Louis Rams Training Camp: Rams Begin Full-Squad Two-A-Days

The Post-Dispatch reports that the Rams began full-squad two-a-day practices on Sunday. They were, one might say, full contact:

Things boiled over during an 11-on-11 period when offensive guard Jacob Bell and defensive end Chris Long engaged in a brief sideline scuffle, with Bell attempting to throw a few punches in the process.

"I don't really want to talk about it," Bell said afterward. "It's just practice, man. We're the same team. We're teammates. Stuff happens."

The rare un-bracketed "stuff" from Jacob Bell, who apparently keeps things clean in mixed company.