The Rams finalized their practice squad today, signing seven and waiting to finish the deal for the eighth spot. 

Here's who made the practice squad:

No surprise to see two defensive backs made part of the practice squad. CB Darius Vinnett, who finished the preseason with 6 tackles, earned a spot. S Eric Basseywill be added if he clears waivers after being cut in order for the Rams to sign CB RIcky Manning, Jr. That bolsters the Rams depth in the defensive backfield with nine DBs on the active roster (4 safeties and 5 corners: Chavous, Atogwe, Johnson, Brannon Condren (signed yesterday), Hill, Brown, Wade, Bartell, and Manning), and two more on the practice squad. 

Running backs, surprisingly enough, are well represented on the practice squad. The Rams got serious this year about adding blockers at those key positions not on the offensive line, such as TE and FB. Veteran FB Dan Krieder will do most of the blocking out of the backfield (Steelers fans already miss their "bruising fullback"), but coming off a torn ACL last season and dealing with a sore knee in camp this year, signing FB Russ Weil to the practice squad makes sense. Blocking will be more of an emphasis this season, that much is obvious. I'm really glad to see that they signed RB Lance Ball to the practice squad. He's a bit unorthodox as NFL rushers go, but he had a special camp/preseason getting extra reps with Steven Jackson holding out (more on Ball and Pittman first thing in the morning).

After last year's o-line disaster, I'm just a little surprised that only G Dustin Fry made the practice squad. Of course, he was really the only OL they had in camp eligible for the practice  squad other than Julius Wilson - claimed off waivers by the Bucs - who was man handled through camp. The Rams kept 9 linemen on the active roster, same as all other team in the division; keeping more fringe players for the OL would have meant trimming other areas of need, like defensive back. Depth linemen are easier to replace. Think about it: is OT Mark LeVoir better than anyone they could sign off the street? Not really, but a CB like Vinnett who played fairly well in preseason, learning the system, is harder to find. Besides, if the Rams were down to playing Mark LeVoir at OT, they're screwed anyway. 

WR Dereck Stanley was rewarded for his positive showing at camp with a practice squad spot. Stanley can return kicks in a pinch too. Remember, last season, with Dante Hall injured Stanley returned 20 kicks, averaging a healthy 25.5 yards per, the best average of any Rams returner last season.

It was good to see DE C. J. Ah You signed to the practice squad too. Ah You had a great camp, earning praise from Linehan and he racked up 12 tackles in the preseason, tied for third most on the team. He spent the last six weeks of '07 on the practice squad too.  

A need for depth close at hand likely helped LB Marc Magro get his spot. Magro had 9 tackles in the preseason, getting badly burned by the Chiefs Kolby Smith in the last preseason game. 

And there you have it, you're 2008 St. Louis Rams practice squad. 

Meh. The fringe guys didn't exactly make their case, did they? Our backups did start out playing KC starters though. Some thoughts:

• What's the deal with special teams? Two blocked punts in two games is not acceptable. Players lining up wrong at this stage can't happen. With our schedule, muffed punts and kicks will lose a game. On the returns, it's obvious we need to get Dante Hall healthy. He's the only Rams returner who put up solid numbers in the preseason; the Hall as #3 WR talk ends now.
• Lance Ball continued to make his case last night with 70 yards on 13 carries and a TD. I think they'll keep him on the practice squad, but had he not missed his assignment on the punt team, resulting in a blocked punt last night, he'd have a much stronger case for the 53-man roster.
• The rushing numbers also point to solid work from the o-line backups. That's a good thing, except for the 3 sacks.
• And the winner is...Marques Hagans in the fringe wide receiver race. I'm operating under the assumption Dane Looker's already made it. 
• The offense didn't look like much to brag about after two consecutive three-and-outs to start the game. Berlin still impressed in the two minute offense though. 
• I think maybe the Rams should hang on to S Eric Bassey, keep him on the 53-man roster. He's shown some inspired play this month and as the 4th safety and a special teams guy can play at a higher level than Jerome Carter.
• Score board aside, the most troubling thing about the game was the injury to Donnie Avery, who left with a sprained right knee. No word on his status yet, but he should be okay.
• It was an ugly start, but you've got to be happy that these fringe guys kept at it and made it a 4 point game in the end. 

I'm trying to come up with a Governor's Cup joke here. Every time I get a sentence down though, it erase it, too hackneyed. Let's face it, the Governor's Cup, with most of the starters on the bench, isn't the most exciting football you'll see all season. Might be better than some of those Rams games last season though. For the 20+ guys looking to survive the final roster cut, it is a big game, a last audition. 

The Post-Dispatch has a pretty comprehensive look at the final roster as it stands. To kick off the morning, I thought we'd take a stab at predicting the 8-man practice squad. Before I jump in, some housekeeping. I swapped QnA with SBN's Chiefs blog Arrowhead Pride, and will have those up later. Don't forget to check out 3k's preview.

Now, the practice squad.

Roy Schuening, G - Reading about this guy after the draft, I fully expected him to cement a backup role for himself in camp. By all accounts he came to the league as force on the o-line. He could still, and after last season's experience with the o-line, you can bet they'll keep another OL on the practice squad. Probably means Dustin Fry's days as a Rams are numbered. 

Marques Hagans, WR - This is a position that will get plenty of attention in tonight's game. Hagans and the others battling for an outside chance at the 53-man roster will get plenty of passes thrown their way as well as return opportunities. Hagans has been the best receiver of these fringe guys, but Derek Stanley has an advantage in the return game. Brandon Williams might be a better kick returner, so he has a decent shot at the practice squad too. Reche Caldwell might make it because of his experience, but he could probably find work complementing the depth on another team. This is the toughest spot by far to round out the bottom of the depth chart. The Rams kept two WRs on the practice squad to start the season last year, Stanley and Dominque Thompson, and it certainly looks like they'll do that again. 

Lance Ball, RB - Ball will get a lot of carries tonight, passes too. The Maryland undrafted rookie has really impressed, and had the Steven Jackson holdout dragged into the regular season, there's no question he'd be on the team. He will make the practice squad. 

Bruce Gradkowski, QB - Last season, when the Rams went with just 2 QBs on their active roster, they had to keep Berlin on the practice squad. Good thing they did too because they needed him. It's possible they'll keep Gradkowski this year, with Berlin favored to retain his old job at #3. However, it's not as likely. 

Eric Bassey, S - This is a tough one too because the Rams have some nagging injuries to key starters. If Jerome Carter can play tonight and doesn't completely suck, they'll almost have to keep the 4th year vet to round out depth at safety by making him the fourth. I'm assuming they'll keep 4 safeties and 5 corners. Vinnett has special teams value. I wonder if they'll keep Macklin, a vet, and put Vinnett on the practice squad? 

David Vobora, LB - This depends on whether or not the Rams keep 6 or 7 LBs. If they keep 7, he's on the 53-man, contributing on ST. That scenario likely puts Marc Magro on the practice squad. 

C. J. Ah You, DE - I suspect they'll keep a DL on the practice squad, and Ah You is the best of the fringe guys at that position. That leaves them a little short at DT, potentially, with just Glover, Carriker and Ryan as the only full time DTs. Of course, DTs Willie Williams and Henry Smith have as many tackles through the preseason as Adam Carriker, so they'll be working hard to make an impression tonight. 

That's my educated guesses at the practice squad. We'll have definitive answers this weekend. Stay tuned.

I apologize for throwing this out after camp has officially opened, but hey, better late than never.

Let's go through the positions and find out what is going on over the next couple weeks until camp closes on August 14th.

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