Jacob Bell can't catch a break

Football is a rough sport. I'm not talking about the physical liabilities players put themselves through; I'm talking about the unforgiving media environment. In the spotlight today, St. Louis Rams guard Jacob Bell, who just underwent arthroscopic knee surgery that will keep him out of action for 4-6 weeks. 

Bell got off to a rough start after getting big free agent bucks from the Rams in 2008. Besides dealing with injuries, he was playing underweight and getting manhandled. However, the team made it perfectly clear that he had to change. He bulked up, even hired a personal chef, and got in shape during the 2009 offseason. It worked. Bell played much better last season, working with Jason Brown and a rotation of Adam Goldberg and Richie Incognito to give the Rams a stout middle to their offensive line. Ultimately, Bell's season ended with a trip to IR with a hamstring injury he suffered against the Titans in week 14. 

Don't try to explain that to Greg Rosenthal at Pro Football Talk, who walks way out on a limb wondering if Bell isn't a candidate to be released by the Rams when camp starts this summer. 

Any list of the most overpaid offensive linemen in the league has to include Rams guard Jacob Bell, who is due $5 million this season after two underwhelming campaigns in St. Louis.

The surgery makes us wonder if Bell will be fighting to make the team in training camp.

Bell's second season with the Rams wasn't underwhelming from a performance standpoint, though missing three weeks because of his injury did disappoint. 

The later part is absolutely ridiculous. If Bell's healthy by the time camp starts, which he should be since arthroscopic surgery isn't exactly a career killer, he figures to fit right back into the Rams starting LG spot. Who would replace him? The Rams have depth at guard, but based on his performance last season, Bell is their best player at the position. 

This wasn't the first time Rosenthal revealed that he doesn't watch the Rams very closely...not that I could blame him, except for the fact that he's a national fantasy football writer. 

Other items of interest...

Steven Jackson fully expects to be 100 percent when camp starts. The Rams still better make every effort to find some insurance. 

The Seahawks released QB Mike Reilly, who they picked up after the Rams released him earlier this spring.

Sam Bradford did not work with the starting unit yesterday, or at least what's considered the starting unit at this point in time. That shouldn't surprise anyone. Spagnuolo has a well documented history of making his rookies, no matter how highly touted, earn their spots; James Laurinaitis and Jason Smith both did the same. This fits with hints given by Spags about how he plans to develop Bradford.