Rams likely to have Bradford, not Jackson in Week 2
There was some good news and bad news Monday in the wake of an injury-filled game Sunday that overshadowed the Rams' 31-13 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
The good news was that quarterback Sam Bradford has a bruise on the index finger of his throwing hand, but doesn't have a nerve issue as had been feared Sunday after the game. In addition, right tackle Jason Smith has a lower ankle sprain rather than a high one, which can often keep players sidelined for several weeks.
The bad news concerned cornerback Ron Bartell, who was thought to have suffered a stinger, but actually has a fracture in his neck "in two levels," according to coach Steve Spagnuolo. Bartell had a CT scan and MRI at the hospital Sunday night.
It's possible the injury could be season-ending. When asked how difficult it would be to lose Bartell, Spagnuolo said, "You lose anybody for the season, anybody on our 53, certainly in the top 22, it's a blow. But I would venture to guess that if we looked around the league there's other teams going through the same thing. Like I told the team in there, just get a fox-hole mentality, get in there, regroup, get the next guy up and come out of the hole fighting. That's what we'll do."
Acknowledging that the injury list from the game is the worst of any game since he's been with the Rams, Spagnuolo added, "There's a lot there no question. Like I say, that's why we have 53 guys, guys are going to have to step up there and play. I think you heard a couple of guys make the comments earlier that nobody's going to bury their head in the sand. We're not going away. We have 15 games. This is a marathon, not a sprint. We didn't envision starting like that. We certainly didn't envision losing all these guys, but between the coaching staff, personnel staff, the players just find a way to rally and go play."
In addition to Bradford, Bartell and Smith, there were also injuries to running back Steven Jackson (strained quad), wide receiver and punt returner Danny Amendola (dislocated elbow), cornerback Bradley Fletcher (toe), left tackle Rodger Saffold (leg) and defensive end C.J. Ah You (wrist).
When asked if the injuries could be linked to the lockout, Spagnuolo said, "That's hard for me. I can't go there on that. I don't know." He then added, "When you really look at it, I thought the coaches, I thought the way we structured the practice, I thought that Reggie (trainer Reggie Scott) and his staff really did a pretty good job of keeping our team healthy throughout the training camp.
"You come out of a lockout, how do you handle them? Do you do too much too early? All the pulls, we didn't have any soft tissue injuries. I'm not sure how you avoid the one that Steven had. I'm not sure how you avoid Ron, he's just in there tackling. Danny, those things we can't control that part of it. All we control is where we sit right now."
