Around the Horns

Seems like the injury prevention edition. That is kind of a relevant topic for the Rams though. Here's your morning reading.

• Being prepared for more o-line injuries, especially in the wake of last year's disaster, is not a bad thing. So bringing in free agent offensive tackle Barry Simms for a visit makes sense. He's visiting other teams, so the 33-year-old could wind up elsewhere. 
• It's a lot of reading - for the web - but this Football Outsiders article looking at the differences between patterns for college receiving routes versus the pros is a darn good read. Makes me wonder about getting the Rams rookie WRs like Donnie Avery and Keenan Burton up to snuff on Saunders' playbook. Avery's the one who'll really be in the spotlight, but from the sounds of things he'll be concerned with mostly a handful of deep routes.  
• OTAs are chugging right along. The Rams have added sand pit to train in, with the idea that it strengthens ankles and legs. Whatever it takes.
• Should be interesting to see what DT Clifton Ryan has for an encore this season. 
• Nick Cleaver (great sports name), the New Mexico State TE that the Rams signed earlier this week, has some college experience in the H-back role, acting as a plow/blocker on some plays and Al Saunders preferred option as opposed to a full-time fullback. Cleaver had a good workout at his pro day and could be impressive. There's some redundancy with Anthony Becht, but Cleaver is certainly worht a look and might not be a bad option to have around should the Rams need blocking help. 
• Finally, here are some OTA photos over at Real Rams Fans forum.