Ramblin’ Fan’s “Humpday” Morning Links: Kick Return Questions, Rams Cuts, And The Curious Case Of The Anti-Injury Bug

It seems like just yesterday that we were begging for the start of training camp, fawning over the mere thought of professional athletes dawning the navy and gold. Now, we are a day away from the final preseason matchup and the “official” start of the regular season. With the short week to prepare, there was plenty of good content posted early this week. Here is some of the best stuff.

Rams still searching for kick returner

If you haven’t noticed, the St. Louis Rams have been abysmal in the kick return game this season, marred by excessive touchbacks and bad decisions in taking the ball out deep out in the endzone. Currently, Isaiah Pead is the “starter,” but with limited production and players like Benny Cunningham showing glimpses of explosiveness in limited reps, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Pead lose that job as well.

Making the Call on St. Louis Rams’ Hardest Remaining Cuts

Each year, there are a handful of player that grab the attention of the fans, like Andrew Helmick, the local small-school prospect that lit up the field before falling prey to the injury bug. The reality of the NFL is that some tough decisions will have to be made, cutting the training camp roster from 90 players all the way down to the 53-man final roster. With the “first wave” of cuts out of the way, the coaching staff will now have some truly difficult decisions to make. Here are a handful of those players…

Team-by-Team NFL Rookie Class Report Card Heading into Preseason Week 4

Riddle me this: The “average” grade of the Rams seven 2013 draftees is a “C-” and, yet, the overall grade for the rookie class is a “B-“? Grading players, especially starters, through the preseason is a relatively meaningless, highly subjective task. Check out Bleacher Report’s report card on the St. Louis Rams.

Havard ‘Kickalicious’ Rugland released by Detroit Lions

In the NFL, there is only room for one kicker with an extravagant nickname, and with gems like “Leg-a-Tron,” “Young GZ,” and “Greg the Leg,” there is clearly already a king holding the crown. The Lions obviously learned that this week, releasing “Kickalicious” during their cut to 75 players. Hopefully, he learned his lesson…

Rams injury report: Lance Kendricks, Jermelle Cudjo nearing a return

If the “injury game” were a poker match, the St. Louis Rams would be the low count player losing money on every hand by paying the blind and folding their cards. That is essentially how the Rams’ situation has been over the past couple of season, with limited talent and a constant streak of injuries inhibiting the young squad from doing anything productive. However, this season, the Rams have been dealt pocket aces, and with no notable injuries at this point in the offseason, appear primed to go all-in and take back some of the respect they have lost over the last decade of mediocrity.

*My apologies if you aren’t fluent in “poker speak”*