I don't know if the St. Louis Rams are charmed or cursed. Injuries still dog them, but they're mostly relatively minor bumps and bruises (though I can attest that broken pinkie hurts like a mutha). The most recent example is veteran DE Leonard Little, who hurt his knee yesterday. He was back in action in the afternoon. The Rams need Leonard because they've got a lot of unknowns on the defensive line.

Injured DT Adam Carriker took reps with the team, putting his return to action in the very soon column, possibly against the Bengals on Thursday night. WR Donnie Avery is already in full pads, running full speed. His return won't be far behind.

Carriker may be the first starter unseated by a young up and comer. Spagnuolo says that when Carriker does return, he'll have to battle DT Gary Gibson. Good for Spags. Not guaranteeing Carriker's starting job might be just the extra motivation he needs to get it together. From what we saw out of the defense last week, someone needs to step up.

Boller says he's getting better. We'll see whether that's true or not this week.

Other items of interest...

• St. Louis Rams' Billy Bajema surprises at tight end
• Bengals Quarterback Palmer Could Sit Vs. Rams Due To Ankle Sprain
• Steven Jackson shares his feelings on two back systems. Hint: he doesn't like them.
• The Bengals and Andre Smith saga continues. Didn't see this coming, huh?
• Rams Herd looks at the secondary.
• Why Rams Gab is watching Laurent Robinson.