May 23, 2012; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Rams linebacker Jo-Lonn Dunbar (58) and guard Harvey Dahl (62) scuffle as teammates attempt to break it up during an OTA at ContinuityX Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-US PRESSWIRE

As far as the St. Louis Rams’ luck goes, we are fairing pretty well on the injury front. While teams like the Cleveland Browns and San Franscisco 49ers continue to be decimated by injuries, the Rams have remained relatively unscathed going into the third bout of the preseason. Prior to the Week 2 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs, there were only a couple of notable injuries pestering the defensive side of the ball. Darian Stewart (hamstring) and Bradley Fletcher (rib) were inactive, both of whom have yet to take the field in a preseason game. On the offensive side of the ball, the Rams held out Scott Wells, Danario Alexander, and Brandon Gibson. Well it is now Monday; another day, another week of football. How are the Rams doing on the injury front…

Jim Thomas tweeted out Saturday night that Brian Quick had been taken to the locker room for x-rays on his back. It was later revealed what Quick had suffered from “back spasms.” Nick Wagner reported that, according to Coach Fisher, the injury should not keep Quick out for any substantial amount of time. That should be a sigh of relief for those expecting, or at least hoping, that Quick will be the lost awaited replacement to the Torry Holt throne.

Fisher on Thursday noted that he did not see Wells’ injury plaguing him any further than “this weekend,” a sediment which he echoed on Sunday. According to that same report by Wagner, Fisher expects Brandon Gibson, Darian Stewart, and Scott Wells back this week.

One of the big names you see absent from that list is the oft-injured Danario Alexander, whose chances at grasping a spot on the final roster are dwendling with every passing day. Alexander, who is still nursing a nagging hamstring injury, it continuing to fall down the depth chart in an extremely crowded wide receiver field. For now, I wouldn’t expect him back this week… which means we might not be seeing him come the Aug. 31 roster cuts.

In addition to Darian Stewart, the Rams should be expecting back Bradley Fletcher, who has been held out with a rib injury sustained prior to Week 1 against the Colts. Both players have yet to see the field, while, in limited time, Josh Gordon, Jerome Murphy, Trumaine Johnson have impressed as replacements. Craig Dahl, aside from his Week 1 gaffe that led to Andrew Luck’s “real” first touchdown pass in the NFL, has held his own alongside Quintin Mikell. With Fletcher back, it is now a crowded field fighting for the nickelback, or third cornerback, spot on the defense. The one problem a team loves to have at the start of the regular season is having too many quality cornerbacks on the roster. After last season’s injury epidemic, I am sure it is a welcome competition in the Rams’ secondary.

Ryan Van Bibber, editor at TurfShowTimes, breaks down what each of the returns might mean this week during practice; a must read! Bibber talks about not only the implications in the secondary, but how the return of Scott Wells may cause a drastic shake-up of the interior lineman. With all of the “back-ups” playing recognizably well, it should be interesting to see who will get the majority of reps with the first team, and where each player may be getting those reps. STLToday.com writer Jeff Gordon also touches on the  impressive showing from the “replacement” lineman, giving a lot of credit to Robert Turner and Barry Richardson, who has, so far, beat out Jason Smith for the starting job.

As far as injuries go, no news is good news! So, lets hope we continue to not hear much from Rams Camp this season.

1. Start-ing Time – The starting units should both see more action than last week, and Bradford and Co. will likely play most or all of the first half. It’s kind of a weird feeling watching the starters in the preseason, because I want to see our big guns as much as possible but it makes me nervous every time Bradford drops back in a meaningless game. I want to see if the offense can get into a groove with the extended snaps.

2. Battle On – There are battles at many positions, but the two that are still stealing the show are WR and LB. With the starters going longer, it will be interesting to see how how the snaps get divided at these two positions. To be honest, I don’t even want to handicap any of these races right now, but this game could provide some separation and clear up the picture.

3. Nice To See You – It looks like we will have some preseason debuts, with Donnie Avery and Michael Hoomanawanui ready to see time and possibly Steven Jackson as well. Mike Sims-Walker could see action, so at least we should be closer to full strength than last week. Avery needs game action badly after missing almost a year, and Illini Mike is still working his way back. It’s always nice when guys get healthy, and if they are on the field against the Titans, that means they are close to 100%.

4. The Rookies – I always like to watch the rookies in every preseason game, whether they be drafted or undrafted. Robert Quinn showed flashes last week, and he should be better against the Titans. Lance Kendricks continues to impress, but let’s see if he can do it two weeks in a row. Austin Pettis and Greg Salas need to make an impact this week, and I’m interested to see Jabara Williams in action.

5. Remember This Titan? – If you are watching the opposition, you will likely see a familiar face starting at quarterback. Longtime Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck is guiding the Tennessee crew now, so let’s all give him a nice “Welcome Back” to St. Louis. Also at quarterback is rookie Jake Locker, who is undoubtedly the future there. Locker is more of a project, so I want to see how he looks at the NFL level.