imported_JRIB

Confidence in Klopfenstein rises
Several times during training camp, Rams coach Scott Linehan expressed grave concerns about the lack of experience among his tight ends. Thanks to rookie Joe Klopfenstein, those fears have largely been allayed.

Klopfenstein's seven receptions aren't enough to get him included in the NFL statistics package (11 is the minimum). But his 16.9-yard average per catch tops all tight ends listed.

"We knew we were going to have to live with the rookie-type things ... not necessarily mistakes, but just the nuances of knowing the game and understanding the pace of the game," Linehan said. "But I think he's doing outstanding.

"The thing that's been the most encouraging is that he really has never blinked, from the opener 'till now. Yeah, he's had ups and downs, like all of us have, but he's played through it and been tough."
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Klopfenstein, a 6-foot-5, 256-pounder from Colorado, was the Rams' second-round draft choice. They also made Southern California tight end Dominique Byrd a first-day pick, grabbing him in the third round.

That afternoon, incumbent starter Brandon Manumaleuna was traded to San Diego for a fourth-round selection that the Rams used to land Indiana's Victor Adeyanju, who is starting at defensive end.

Playing behind Pro Bowler Antonio Gates, Manumaleuna has nine receptions for 43 yards for the Chargers, the Rams' foes on Sunday at Qualcomm Stadium.

Klopfenstein, the only rookie to start every game for the Rams, made his first catch in Week 2, an 11-yarder in the second quarter at San Francisco. His first touchdown came two weeks later, when quarterback Marc Bulger found him over the middle for a 16-yard score against Detroit.

Without thinking, the ecstatic Klopfenstein tossed the keepsake ball to the nearest official. But equipment manager Todd Hewitt retrieved it and had it inscribed with all the particulars.

"It's pretty cool," said Klopfenstein, 22. "I don't really have a trophy shelf in my house, but that would be the first thing on it

The TD is personal highlight No. 1 in season No. 1 for Klopfenstein, who said he's satisfied with his progress.

"The first few weeks were sort of feeling out the NFL in general," he explained. "Six weeks in, I've gotten quite a bit of experience. So, I feel real comfortable."

Still, as college seasons are beginning to wind down, the pros haven't hit the midseason mark. Klopfenstein expects the grind to wear on him eventually.

"I really haven't hit that point yet where I feel fatigued mentally and physically," he said. "But it's a long season, and I think this next 10-game grind without a break is going to be something that I'm going to really notice as different from college."

Linehan, though, has a burgeoning confidence in him.

"We've asked him to do a lot of things that you wouldn't really even ask a second- or third-year player, as far as being in there on third-down protections a lot," Linehan said. "He's had some mistakes, but I think the pluses have highly outweighed those, especially for a young player.

"He's way ahead of schedule as far as his development."

Injury update

Linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa, who already had dislocated his left shoulder twice this season, suffered a small fracture in his left hand near the end of Wednesday's practice.

Linehan said Tinoisamoa, who has suited up for all 57 games since the Rams drafted him in 2003, would be able to play Sunday with a splint on his hand.

Fullback Paul Smith practiced for the first time since suffering fractures and muscle damage near his left eye Oct. 1 vs. Detroit. Smith, who was injured while covering a kickoff, reported no ill effects after the two-hour workout.

"Everything feels pretty good," he said. "I'm a little rusty, as far as physically getting back into it, running around on the field. You get stiff again and your feet hurt again. But that'll all go away."

Linehan said, "He had the same energy level and focus that he had before. It was like he'd never missed a snap. It didn't look like he had any hesitation at all."

Tinoisamoa and Smith were the only Rams listed Wednesday on the week's first injury report. Both were probable.

Ram-blings

Center Andy McCollum had surgery Tuesday on his left knee, which suffered torn ligaments in the season opener. "Everything went real well, and the prognosis looks good that he'll be able to be back next year" for a 14th NFL season, Linehan said. ... Since bye weeks began in 1990, the Rams are 9-7 in games following their break. But they have dropped their last two, 31-16 at Seattle last year and 40-22 to New England in 2004.

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Tinoisamoa itching to play

For the second time this season, linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa is listed as questionable on the Rams' injury report. Under NFL guidelines, that means he's 50-50 for Sunday's game at San Diego.

Under Tinoisamoa's guidelines, though, he's about 99.9 percent, despite the broken bone in his left hand that he suffered Wednesday in practice.

"If anybody can do it, he can," coach Scott Linehan said Friday.

Tinoisamoa, whose left elbow has been dislocated twice this season, has played in all 57 games since the Rams drafted him in 2003. That includes the San Francisco game Sept. 17, when he was questionable because of a sprained foot.

It was in that contest that he first injured his elbow. He missed the second half but suited up the following week at Arizona. Linehan said he fully expected Tinoisamoa to play vs. the Chargers.

Linehan explained that Tinoisamoa was downgraded from probable on Thursday's report mainly because he was in for only about half the snaps at Friday's practice. Team medical personnel have struggled to create a comfortable cast for his hand.

"That's the issue," Linehan said. "We'll just keep experimenting and try to come up with something that will work for him."

Tinoisamoa, who did not speak with reporters Friday, said earlier that his determination to play even when injured probably was a byproduct of an active youth.

"When I was younger, I refused to be hurt," he said. "I can't let that mentality change now."

Tinoisamoa's backup is veteran Dexter Coakley, who got in extended work with the first unit this week.

"I'm prepared," Coakley said. "If Pisa plays, I'm going to keep a close eye on him. If he can't go, I'll definitely try to make some plays and help us win the ballgame."

The presence of Coakley, who is filling a reserve role for the first time in his 10 NFL seasons, is a calming influence, Linehan said.

"That's the great thing about the depth I think we've created at the linebacker spot," he said. "Dexter is ready. You don't really worry about it."

Newcomer Isaiah Kacyvenski could fill in if needed, although the bulk of his experience is at middle linebacker. He was limited to special-teams duty in his first two games with the Rams after signing as a free agent. The bye week afforded him time to catch up with the defensive scheme.

"It's a different type of defense here, but I definitely feel more comfortable," said Kacyvenski, who was released by Seattle on Sept. 30. "I got into the playbook hard during the bye week and met with the coaches plenty. I'll be ready to go."

Betting brothers

Wide receiver Torry Holt had a personal reason to root for the Cardinals in the World Series. He had placed what he termed "a small wager" on the outcome with his brother, Terrence, a safety for the Detroit Lions.

Anticipating a Cards championship, Torry said Friday that he expected Terrence to ship him "a bundle of clothes. It's getting cold. Buy me something up in Detroit that'll keep me warm."

Holt said he shivered Tuesday night at Busch Stadium, where he attended his first Series game. Still, he said, "It was fun. I had a real good time.

"The stadium was rocking, all the chants and all the music, smelling the corn dogs and the pretzels and the popcorn. And being bundled up."

Holt said that while watching Game 3, the contrast between football and baseball struck him.

"Watching baseball, you have to develop patience, because the game's not as high-wired as our sport is," he said. "And those guys standing out there in the outfield in that chilly weather and waiting for something to come their way ... I admire their patience to play baseball."

Ramblings

Fullback Paul Smith (eye) was removed from the injury list Friday. "He's good to go," Linehan said. ... Chargers offensive coordinator Cam Cameron was among three finalists for the Rams' head-coaching job that went to Linehan. Chicago defensive coordinator Ron Rivera was the third.

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imported_JRIB

Glover returns home, becomes main attraction

Rams defensive tackle La'Roi Glover (left) gets a hand on Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner in a game earlier this season.

As a youngster in San Diego, La'Roi Glover would join his brother and his father and often spend Saturday nights in sleeping bags outside Jack Murphy Stadium, the better to score tickets for the Chargers' game the next day.

"Somehow my father would get some, and the next morning we'd wake up and go watch some football," Glover said. "From those days on, I really loved the game."

And he loved the Chargers. "(Dan) Fouts, (Kellen) Winslow, Wes Chandler, Charlie Joiner," Glover recalled. His favorite, though, was Gary "Big Hands" Johnson. "He was a defensive tackle there, and a very good one for a long time," Glover said. "He was a guy I really looked up to."

The stadium has been expanded and refurbished and now is called Qualcomm. Glover will return there for just the third time in his 11 NFL seasons Sunday, when the Rams (4-2) square off against the Chargers (4-2).


"You get an opportunity to play in front of your parents, in front of your old high school coach, your old friends," said Glover, a 6-foot-2, 290-pound defensive tackle. "That's what makes it special."

Glover's high school coach, Bennie Edens, doesn't plan to attend. But Edens, who retired in 1997 after 54 years at Point Loma High, will be watching intently on television. "I still follow him," said Edens, 80.

Under Edens, Glover was a two-way player who also long-snapped and punted. "I was terrible," he said. "But they needed somebody to do it, so I did it."

Edens coached several future NFL players in football-rich San Diego, and he ranks Glover among his best. Efforts are under way to retire Glover's No. 76 jersey.

"For being so talented, he tried very hard," Edens said. "A lot of players with that kind of talent, they just kind of let it ride. But he was a worker."

After four seasons as a starter at San Diego State, Glover was drafted in the fifth round in 1996 by Oakland, which cut him in 1997. He spent the next five seasons in New Orleans, followed by four in Dallas.

Although Glover, 32, had been to six consecutive Pro Bowls, the Cowboys released him because they didn't feel he was bulky enough to be effective in their new 3-4 defense. The Rams signed him as a free agent March 7 and immediately installed him as a starter alongside nose tackle Jimmy Kennedy.

Rams defensive coordinator Jim Haslett was Glover's head coach for two years with the Saints. Still, Glover acknowledged that he didn't get off to a scintillating start here.

"The first two or three weeks, for me at least, have always been slow," Glover said. "I'm starting to feel a little bit more comfortable with the guys around me, and I'm starting to just forget all the thinking, forget all the over-analyzing. Just line up, try to whip the guy in front of you and get to the ball."

Coach Scott Linehan agreed that Glover's play has been on the upswing.

"I really noticed in the last two games — and especially in the Seattle game (Oct. 15, before the bye week) — that he's really stepped up his ability to create a pass rush," Linehan said. "He plays the run very solid, and he's starting now to really get his sea legs, so to speak, and get that timing down.

"He does everything very, very solid. I think he's just now starting to get a feel for his game here and fitting in with what we're doing."

Glover has collected 18 tackles and 1 1/2 sacks, boosting his career totals to 488 and 73, respectively. A big outing by Glover would enhance the Rams' chances vs. the Chargers, who sport the NFL's No. 4 offense.

It also would please his friends and relatives, for whom he's now the one responsible for tracking down tickets. Paying for them, too.

"Unfortunately, that's part of the deal. You've got to spend the big money," Glover said. "I think I'm at about 25 right now."

And really, he doesn't mind. "He's a good man," Edens said. "I'm very proud of him."

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Adam Timmerman: Rams' iron man set to reach career milestone
Adam Timmerman (62) will play in his 200th, and start in his 197th consecutive NFL game, on Sunday.


As a seventh-round draft pick from South Dakota State, Adam Timmerman was merely trying to survive his first NFL training camp in 1995 with Green Bay.

"I remember saying to people, 'I'm going to try to make the team,'" Timmerman recalled Thursday. "And after that it was like, 'If I could just play for a few years, I'll be doing pretty good.' You kind of blink and all of a sudden. . . ."

All of a sudden, you're playing in your 200th NFL game. Timmerman, who has played for the Rams since 1999, will reach that milestone Sunday in San Diego. Even more impressive is the fact that Timmerman has played the last 197 games in a row.

"That's true Iron Man," Rams teammate La'Roi Glover said. "Especially in the trenches. To put together a streak like that and never miss a game, from a peer standpoint, I look up to a guy like that.
Timmerman's streak includes 179 regular-season games and 20 postseason games. The NFL record books recognize only regular-season contests in terms of iron-man streaks. Even so, Timmerman's 179 is second only to Will Shields' 214 among current NFL offensive linemen.

As a Packers rookie, Timmerman played the first two games of the season on special teams. He was inactive for the next three games. But on Oct. 15 of that season, he returned to action in Game 6 against Detroit. And hasn't missed a game since.

"That's impressive," Rams coach Scott Linehan said. "I didn't know that. But it doesn't surprise me. Guys like him, he's a little 'old school.' Offensive linemen usually get nicked up at some time during their career where they can't play."

The closest Timmerman came to missing a game was a memorable 2000 contest in Kansas City, when an errant snap from backup center Steve Everitt resulted in a broken pinky finger for quarterback Kurt Warner.

Everitt was starting at center because regular center Andy McCollum started at right guard. McCollum was at right guard because Timmerman was on the bench with a sprained knee ligament.

"I remember warming up, trying to figure out if I could go or not," Timmerman said. "I was like, 'Man, this doesn't feel good.

Timmerman didn't start, but with the knee heavily wrapped and braced, he suited up. The plan was to use him only in an emergency.

"Well, then we actually had a couple guys get hurt," Timmerman said.

So he ended up playing a few snaps in the game, which kept his consecutive-games streak going at 95.

He also had a near miss last season before the Rams' Nov. 20 home game against Arizona because of a disc problem in his back.

The back problems typified a tough 2005 season. He missed most of the offseason program leading up to the season because of surgery on a foot and both shoulders. He also had a knee injury but opted against knee surgery. The foot bothered him much of '05, and his play wasn't up to its usual standards.

"That was really hard," Timmerman said. "That's probably what led to me thinking about retirement. Because if you don't feel good, it's really hard to get out there and play on Sunday. . . . Looking back on it, maybe I would've been smarter to sit the year out and really get healed up, because my foot didn't feel great."

Timmerman talked to his wife about retiring during the offseason and had a long talk with Linehan on the same subject.

"He was contemplating it then," Linehan said. "But something told him he wanted to stay with it, and we're certainly glad he did, because he's helping us make the transition we need to make. We know he isn't going to be able to play forever. At some point, there's got to be a strategy to have someone in his place."

Just not right now.

"We're really happy with what he's been able to do," Linehan said. "He's been playing real solid. And it's really nice to have his leadership as well."

Timmerman, 35, has had "only" six surgeries during his NFL career. But four have come in the last two seasons. So he has started taking better care of himself. Within the last year, his new regimen has included massages, regular visits to the chiropractor and offseason yoga.

Yes, yoga. It has improved Timmerman's flexibility. He also has gone to a more healthy diet.

"I have been feeling really good," Timmerman said. "I've been happy with my play and all that. Hopefully, the coaches are, too."

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imported_JRIB

Jackson happy to shoulder big load


Coming off the Rams' bye week, running back Steven Jackson is feeling frisky. "My legs are there, and I'm not aching anywhere," he said. "But we have a long stretch ahead of us — 10 games in a row."

Starting with a stiff test Sunday in San Diego. The Chargers have the NFL's stingiest overall defense, yielding just 241.2 yards per game. They're fifth vs. the run, at 82.0 yards per game.

"Big challenge," Jackson said. "They run a 3-4 scheme — something that we haven't seen much of all year — and they run it well. It'll allow us to measure where we are as an offense overall."

Two of the league's top backs, statistically at least, will be on display at Qualcomm Stadium. Jackson is No. 3 in yards from scrimmage (745 yards); San Diego's LaDainian Tomlinson is No. 8 (719). Jackson is sixth in rushing (521); Tomlinson is 14th (473).


Tomlinson has the edge in receiving, with 246 yards to Jackson's 224. Still, Jackson is more than satisfied with his increased production as a pass-catcher. He's on pace to pile up almost 600 receiving yards, which would nearly double his total of last season (320), his first as a full-time starter.

"It shows the diversity of my game and how Coach (Scott Linehan) allows me to be (effective) in the passing game," Jackson said. "Either way, yardage is being made around here, and it feels good to be able to contribute."

The Rams, though, have gotten little from their reserve backs. They've added only 68 yards to Jackson's total, and the Rams rank just 22nd in the league in rushing, with an average of 98.2 yards per game.

So, Linehan might have to lean on his passing game, which is fifth in the league. And that means Jackson also will be challenged as a blocker. "It's very important for us to give Marc a good pocket," he said. "We've got to help on guys sometimes, and as running backs, when the blitz does come, we have to be pretty stout."

Tougher foes

At 2-1, the Rams are one of only seven NFC teams with a winning road record. But their wins came at Arizona and Green Bay, which have a combined 3-10 mark. The Chargers (4-2), who are 2-0 at home, represent the Rams' toughest road test so far, Linehan conceded.

"I would say on paper it is, just based on the team we're playing, and where they're at, and their record," he said. "But I think every game on the road in this league is extremely tough regardless."

Sunday's game kicks off a four-game stretch in which the Rams will face teams with an aggregate record of 15-10. Linehan's concern, though, is lasered on San Diego, calling it "the most important game of the year."

"We're playing one of the best teams in the league with probably some of the best personnel in the league; you can't find really a true weakness," he said. "We're going to have to play our best game."



Coming off the Rams' bye week, running back Steven Jackson is feeling frisky. "My legs are there, and I'm not aching anywhere," he said. "But we have a long stretch ahead of us — 10 games in a row."

Starting with a stiff test Sunday in San Diego. The Chargers have the NFL's stingiest overall defense, yielding just 241.2 yards per game. They're fifth vs. the run, at 82.0 yards per game.

"Big challenge," Jackson said. "They run a 3-4 scheme — something that we haven't seen much of all year — and they run it well. It'll allow us to measure where we are as an offense overall."

Two of the league's top backs, statistically at least, will be on display at Qualcomm Stadium. Jackson is No. 3 in yards from scrimmage (745 yards); San Diego's LaDainian Tomlinson is No. 8 (719). Jackson is sixth in rushing (521); Tomlinson is 14th (473).

Tomlinson has the edge in receiving, with 246 yards to Jackson's 224. Still, Jackson is more than satisfied with his increased production as a pass-catcher. He's on pace to pile up almost 600 receiving yards, which would nearly double his total of last season (320), his first as a full-time starter.

"It shows the diversity of my game and how Coach (Scott Linehan) allows me to be (effective) in the passing game," Jackson said. "Either way, yardage is being made around here, and it feels good to be able to contribute."

The Rams, though, have gotten little from their reserve backs. They've added only 68 yards to Jackson's total, and the Rams rank just 22nd in the league in rushing, with an average of 98.2 yards per game.

So, Linehan might have to lean on his passing game, which is fifth in the league. And that means Jackson also will be challenged as a blocker. "It's very important for us to give Marc a good pocket," he said. "We've got to help on guys sometimes, and as running backs, when the blitz does come, we have to be pretty stout."

Tougher foes

At 2-1, the Rams are one of only seven NFC teams with a winning road record. But their wins came at Arizona and Green Bay, which have a combined 3-10 mark. The Chargers (4-2), who are 2-0 at home, represent the Rams' toughest road test so far, Linehan conceded.

"I would say on paper it is, just based on the team we're playing, and where they're at, and their record," he said. "But I think every game on the road in this league is extremely tough regardless."

Sunday's game kicks off a four-game stretch in which the Rams will face teams with an aggregate record of 15-10. Linehan's concern, though, is lasered on San Diego, calling it "the most important game of the year."

"We're playing one of the best teams in the league with probably some of the best personnel in the league; you can't find really a true weakness," he said. "We're going to have to play our best game."

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Midnight-Green

How many ****ing threads do you need?

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