May 23, 2012; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Rams tackle Rodger Saffold (76) walks off the field during an OTA at ContinuityX Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-US PRESSWIRE

The offensive line here in St. Louis has been a major concern for what seems like forever, and there is some concern after the last few days of practice that it might not be on the fast track to improving. Barry Richardson has replaced Jason Smith at right tackle for the last two sessions, and Quinn Ojinnaka played left tackle on Thursday with Rodger Saffold missing more time with soreness in his legs.

There’s reason to be concerned with both of these situations, but for very different reasons. As far as Richardson/Smith goes, it looks like Smith has been relegated to the second-team unit since Richardson has lined up with the first team for two consecutive days. Sometimes early in the preseason the coach can just want to get a look at guys in certain spots, but with Smith’s struggles in the past I think this development is certainly one to watch over the next few weeks.

Saffold is going to be the starting LT if he’s healthy, but I think that’s a pretty big IF at this point. Thursday’s “leg soreness” probably isn’t a huge deal, but it seems like every time we look up he is on the sideline for something. I’m not ready to say we should be concerned, but let’s hope Saffold keeps himself healthy over the next few weeks so he’s ready to go for Week 1.

There was a pretty good-sized list of guys who sat out practice on Thursday, as WR Brandon Gibson, S Darian Stewart, CB Bradley Fletcher, WR Danario Alexander and DE Eugene Sims were all held out.

May 23, 2012; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Rams cornerback Cortland Finnegan (31) looks on during an OTA at ContinuityX Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-US PRESSWIRE

It was another smoking hot day for Rams players at training camp, but that didn’t stop them from getting in another workout. As far as injuries go do far, it doesn’t look too bad other than a few minor issues according to head coach Jeff Fisher.“(RB) Daryl (Richardson) was running today, (WR) Danario (Alexander) was running today, so they’re working their way back. (C Tim) Barnes had a little set back on the calf, so we’re looking at him. We had a couple of the corners, (Kendric) Burney and Josh (Gordy), just tight. They had hamstring issues during the spring, so we just backed them down for precautionary reasons.”

Fisher also had some things to say about the heat and how to handle the potential issues that come with temps in the triple digits. “Yeah, we’re much more aware. We’re an air-conditioned society now. In the old days we weren’t. We spent summertime outside. Remember when you got in trouble, some of the older ones, when we got in trouble mom said, ‘Go to your room,’ you know? They say that now, you go to your room and you go ‘Yeah cool, we got all kinds of stuff to do in the room,’ you know? So, moms need to say go outside, I guess. But we’re very much aware of it. We’re weighing players in before and after each practice to make sure that they’re replacing the fluids in their weight, and so that was an outstanding effort today. That was not easy. We had one neutral zone violation on defense in this heat, which is pretty impressive.”

Those of us who have spent the summer here in St. Louis know all about the heat, and if you’ve been outside at all over the last few weeks you know that spending more than five minutes out of the air conditioning is uncomfortable. These players are out there battling for jobs and trying to impress the new coaching staff, and that’s tough enough without having to worry about heat stroke. We’ve seen issues in football before, so it’s good that the coaching and training staffs are taking every precaution necessary to keep these guys safe.

One more quick quote from Fish has to do with CB Cortland Finnegan. I think we all knew this guy was a good player when the team signed him, but his talent is just part of the package that comes with a top-notch veteran player like him. With a young squad like this, that’s exactly what we need. “You see him compete all day, all day long, and he’s been great in the meetings. He’s been a great influence on the younger guys. He’s got the personality where he knows his place. He knows when it’s time to maybe take a guy aside, talk about footwork or hand placement and encourage them. He’s been nothing but a real professional for us.”

In other news, Darian Stewart did not practice Wednesday while he tries to come back from a concussion. He did do some walkthrough stuff, but he hasn’t been cleared by doctors just yet. Spags sounded like he was hopeful that Stewart might be able to get out there over the next few days, but it will depend on what the doctors have to say. Mark LeVoir, Justin Bannan and Josh Hull were all out again, and it doesn’t look good for them at this point. They haven’t been ruled out for Sunday, so a lot will depend on the next few days.

Finally, Danario Alexander was a full participant today and is expected to be full-go Sunday. The final five games are supremely important for DX, so he badly needs to stay healthy and put on a good show. I know the Rams like him, but you can’t roster a guy who is only going to play half of a season. He has shown the ability to be a game-changer, and he needs to do it over these last few games.