Ramblin' Fan » Josh Hull

Rams Place Josh Hull On IR

Justin Stine — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 04:49:20 +0000

The St. Louis Rams made it out of Sunday’s game against the Bengals relatively healthy, but the one big injury was to LB/Special Teamer Josh Hull. Hull was placed on injured reserve Tuesday with an ankle injury, ending his 2011 season. I feel bad for Hull, because I think he has some potential, but he just hasn’t been able to stay healthy since the team drafted him. He did show some good things on special teams when he was able to play this season, but it’s hard to judge him based on the limited time he has been able to play over the last two seasons.

To replace Hull on the roster, the team signed TE Mike McNeill off the Indianapolis Colts’ practice squad. It’s usually not a good sign when you add a guy off the worst team in football’s practice squad, but let’s give McNeill the benefit of the doubt because he is a Kirkwood High grad and a St. Louis guy. He is a rookie from Nebraska who played in four games for Indy this season.

In other injury news, Sam Bradford, A.J. Feeley, Josh Gordy, Justin King and Chris Long didn’t practice Tuesday, although Gordy did a bit of walk-through work. Brandon Lloyd also missed practice, but his was due to illness and he is expected to be fine. Spags said Bradford is about the same as last week, and he is still day-to-day. It didn’t sound like Spags expects Bradford to go this week, but I guess it’s still possible that he could play. If you ask me, let’s sit him again especially considering we are on a short week and playing the Steelers in Pittsburgh. There’s no point in putting him out there in the elements against a nasty defense like Pitt.

Bradford Limited On Wednesday

Justin Stine — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 12:05:32 +0000

The Rams were back to practice on Wednesday, but quarterback Sam Bradford was limited in his reps as he continues to deal with soreness in his ankle. It doesn’t sound like this is anything to be overly concerned about, but you never want to see your quarterback on the sidelines. AJ Feeley took about half the snaps, but this looks like a precautionary move more than anything. I expect Bradford to be fine for Sunday, but don’t be surprised if he is limited in some form or another at practice over the next few days.

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.

Rams Place Jason Smith On IR

Justin Stine — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 10:02:11 +0000

The IR list got a little more crowded on Friday (as it seems to every day) as the Rams placed OT Jason Smith on as he recovers from a concussion. Smith tried to work out earlier in the week, but he suffered from concussion symptoms when he tried to ramp things up. With the injuries on the offensive line piling up, the team decided to end Smith’s season so they could add another body to the group. To take his place, the team signed G/C Bryan Mattison, who was cut by the Ravens on Wednesday. Mattison has seen some NFL time over the last two seasons, as he has played in 10 games for Baltimore, eight of which came this year.

It was really only a matter of time before Smith was going to go on IR, so I’m glad the team made the move this week. Smith has struggled with concussions already in his young career, and it’s getting to a point where you have to be concerned about his future with this team. He hasn’t lived up to the expecations since coming into the league, and I don’t know if you can count on him to play a full season at this point. It will be interesting to see what happens with Smith next season, but we know for sure we won’t be seeing him suit up again in 2011. More on next page…