Rams Preseason Becoming Costly As Injuries Mount

First came a seemingly mild ankle injury to fullback Mike Karney, but since then, the best receiver for the St. Louis Rams is laid up for the entire preseason and a safety is done for the year.

Both Donnie Avery and Eric Bassey were injured during last Friday's scrimmage at Lindenwood University in St. Charles.

Avery will be back, but will miss four to six weeks after suffering a stress fracture in his left foot. It is unclear whether Avery was injured on one specific play—although he was tackled low by Justin King following a reception—or if it occurred over the course of the evening.

Either way, Avery woke up with discomfort in his foot, and an MRI following Sunday morning's practice revealed the fracture.

More serious than Avery's injury was the one suffered by safety Eric Bassey. The fourth-year player from Oklahoma was injured on a non-contact special teams drill. He had 10 tackles last season in 10 games. He was supposed to be an integral part of the Rams special teams this year.

Bassey was placed on injured reserve, and the Rams replaced him on the roster by signing Penn State rookie safety Mark Rubin. Safety Craig Dahl also tweaked a hamstring during Friday's scrimmage and is listed as day-to-day.

Friday's scrimmage, which was not all full-contact, also saw defensive tackle Adam Carriker go down with a sprained ankle that will keep him out of action for at least two weeks. Gary Gibson has assumed Carriker's spot on the first team defense.

Also practicing full-time with the first team "D" is rookie linebacker James Laurinaitis. The rookie from Ohio State is at middle linebacker while veteran Chris Draft moved to the strong side backer position.

It's unclear when the latest injury occurred, but defensive end Leonard Little was held out of Monday's practice with a sore neck. Karney's nagging ankle injury still has him relegated to a bike for the second straight week.

The injury to Avery gives head coach Steve Spagnuolo more looks at some of the other receivers. With the team's No. 1 option out of commission, the other wideouts have the challenge of impressing the rookie coach.

St. Louis has one of the most inexperienced receiving corps in the league, and Avery—just a second-year player from Houston—was the team's deep threat and most accomplished wideout.

Seven-year veterans Ronald Curry and Tim Carter, along with rookies Keenan Burton, Brooks Foster, Jarrett Byers and Sean Walker, are competing for roster spots with free-agent acquisition Laurent Robinson, second-year player Nate Jones, and return specialist Derek Stanley.

Robinson, a third-year veteran whom the Rams acquired on draft day from Atlanta, has been the most impressive in camp. Jones spent last year on the Rams practice squad, a spot where he could very likely find himself again this season. Stanley should be a shoe-in to make the club. He is St. Louis' best kick returner, but is coming off a knee surgery that ended his 2008 season.