The St. Louis Rams might finally have an answer on the ownership question in just 24 hours when the league's owners vote on whether or not to accept Stan Kroenke's bid to purchase the remaining 60 percent share of the team. 

The NFL finance committee today recommended that the league approve Kroenke, a good sign that he's cleared the cross-sport ownership restrictions that once imperiled his takeover bid. Though I can see where some owners might vote against it, it's hard to imagine a scenario in which the league does not approve the billionaire's bid for ownership. Kroenke, with deep pockets and a commitment to winning, is exactly the kind of owner the league would/should want. 

Once he is approved, his next task will be getting his house in order and jumping into the issue of the team's lease on the Dome. I'm still dubious that the team would move at that point, which has less to do with Kroenke's ties to the area than his ability as a businessman to get a stadium deal worked out in the St. Louis area. 

Moving back to the field, the Rams wrap up training camp today and there are a few things to discuss. 

The Rams made a roster move today, releasing LB Dominic Douglas and signing LB Devin Bishop. Douglas spent most of last season on the practice squad after being signed as an undrafted free agent last spring. He was bumped to the active roster in November last year, and saw action in four games, mostly as a special teamer. Bishop is probably a practice squad player for the Rams, who are surprisingly well apportioned at the linebacker position, but he could surprise. Check out this writeup from Mile High Report. 

Spagnuolo wants the starters to get more work this week. 

Sam Bradford made an interesting comment in this conversation with Mike Sando that reveals a little bit more about some of the incessant check downs that caused many to pull out their Pat Shurmur voodoo dolls a little prematurely. Discussing his comfort level with the offensive system, Bradford mentions how he learned to use the check down, rather than throw the ball away, when he couldn't find his two primary receivers during his early career at Oklahoma. He's finding himself more able to do the same thing with the Rams since his first exposure to the playbook during OTAs. 

Speaking of backup running backs, word out of Washington is that two members of their all-mid decade backfield, Willie Parker and Larry Johnson, could end up getting cut as the rosters get winnowed down before the season starts. Johnson has had a terrible preseason and struggled in pass protection, not a surprise since the Chiefs used every ounce of productivity he had. Parker could be more of an interest to the Rams, but it's hard to say what he has left. Parker gets the start this week as the Redskins try to sort out the position. 

It was a spirited practice session for the St. Louis Rams today, with tempers flaring on more than one occasion. Elevated tempers can mean a couple of things. I hope that in this case it indicates the players' intensity and determination, rather than disunity and self-interest. Given where the Rams are in practice, I think it's safe to infer the former. Let's take a quick look.

Brian Stull reports that today's practice included a fight card of Chris Long versus Jason Smith, Hank Fraley versus Gary Gibson and Steven Jackson versus Gary Gibson. Smith had a rough night Saturday, in case you forgot, and has high expectations to live up to. Reading between the lines, his fisticuffs hopefully are a by product of his intensity in getting where he needs to be with his performance. 

Sando has a more in-depth recap of the brawling today. He also gets Jacob Bell's perspective on the line's struggles last week. 

There were a couple of new, day-to-day injuries occurring today. DE George Selvie, having an impressive rookie debut so far, is having an x-ray on his lower leg, an injury that's been bugging him for a few days now. S Kevin Payne, friend of TST, "dinged" his knee. 

That noise? That was the huge sigh of relief emanating from the hundreds, no, thousands of fans upon hearing the news that rookie OT Rodger Saffold is back on the practice field this morning, a day after injuring his back and few days after the offensive line lapsed protection in their preseason debut. 

So far, serious injuries have avoided the Rams, even if a plague of small ones present a death by a thousand cuts scenario.

Ron Bartell and Bradley Fletcher returned to practice yesterday, in limited work, giving the Rams two of their top players in an injury-depleted group of cornerbacks. 

I'm not a superstitious guy, not at all. That said, even the most skeptical among are starting to believe that the St. Louis Rams offensive line is cursed. Did they us a monkey's paw to get to the Super Bowl back in the day? Not even a full 48 hours had passed between the preseason game in which the Rams OL struggled against Minnesota's second team pass rush before the Rams watched rookie LT Rodger Saffold leave practice with a back injury. 

There is no word yet on the extent of his injury, so it might very well be just a day-to-day thing. Spagnuolo has to hope so anyway. Saffold struggled on Saturday. Before that, he had shown real acumen for the left side and could have overcome some of the struggles that exasperated fans just as Sam Bradford fever took hold. Hold your breath, cross you fingers, etc. The Rams need Rodger Saffold to be healthy. They also need him to get the reps in practice and preseason play if they expect him to be a factor soon rather than later in the coming season.

However, it could be worse. Jason Smith would move to the left side and Adam Goldberg to the right. Smith has the talent; we saw it last year. His struggles on Saturday were a remider that he has a long way to go, but him getting there is not outside the realm of the somewhat likely. 

In other bad news, Brian Westbrook chose the 49ers, of all places. He'll ply his trade behind Frank Gore, forming the most-talented, most-injured 1-2 punch of running backs in the division. A little disappointing, no? It is important to remember that the Rams still have Steven Jackson. Mike Sando makes a good point about the team needing to develop their talent, like RB Chris Ogbonnaya. The Silent G impressed enough last year to make you think that there is some talent there. After all, he did look pretty good catching the ball and it was not his fault that the o-line had a bad night. 

Reading some of the exasperated comments today, it's worth remembering that lots of players do not develop overnight. 

I guess it'd be too much to ask for the 49ers to put Anthony Dixon on their practice sqaud? Yeah, figures. If you haven't seen him run, he's a classic Sylvester Croom (current Rams RB coach and former Mississippi State coach) power back. In fact, he looks a little like the poor man's Steven Jackson to me. 

ESPN's Mike Sando is camp this week, and you'll want to read his report. One of the things that stood to me: a report of OG Roger Allen III hammering Clifton Ryan in practice today. The Rams need some good news at guard. That he's going up against Ryan, assuming it was first teams practicing against each other, means he is getting a further look at guard. Worth keeping an eye on. 

Even better news is Sando's take on Steven Jackson. Give it a read. 

Some key names returned to practice this week, though still somewhat limited. That list's most notable names are CBs Ron Bartell and Bradley Fletcher. Also on the list is G Jacob Bell, WR Mardy Gilyard, WR Brandon Gibson and DE C.J. Ah You. 

Setting aside the disappointing play of the offensive tackles in Saturday's game, one of the more curious slash disappointing moves in the St. Louis Rams offensive line's woeful performance was the decision to move Jason Brown from center to right guard and start Hank Fraley at center. 

Spagnuolo explained the decision in terms of the matchup; He wanted a bigger body at guard against the larger defensive tackles in Minnesota's 4-3 scheme. With injuries forcing both Jacob Bell and John Greco to the sidelines that night, the Rams coaches didn't have many options to choose from among their starting interior linemen, leaving Brown, Fraley and Goldberg as the three guys they had to work with. 

Sticking with the size issue, had Greco and his 329 lbs been available, I have no doubt that the starting interior would have had he and Goldberg at the guard spots and Brown back in the middle. 

You also wonder about the move in terms of continuity. Had Brown stayed at center, the Rams and Fraley played OG, the interior o-line would have had two established guys in the middle. Goldberg having spent enough time filling in OG last year to know the position and the grouping well. The only new faces in new places on the OL in that case would have been Saffold at LT and Fraley at RG. On the surface at least, that combo would have provided some continuity. 

Missed assignments were a factor in the sacks, as identified by Spagnuolo himself. The center has the primary responsibility for making those line calls, getting guys to be aware of their responsibility of who to block. 

However, Brown was back at center when Bradford came into the game and the Rams line started giving up sacks. So how come the line blocked the Vikings starting defense better than their second string? The Vikings second teamers were more aggressive than the starters, who didn't play but a series or two. Which makes what happened to the Rams OL even more frightening had Jared Allen and the Williams brothers been working against this unit in a regular season game. 

Without having the video in front of me, I know that at least two of the sacks Bradford took came from the outside, from the Rams OTs getting beat. Still, the inside of the line wasn't strong at holding the point of attack. They also failed to do much of anything in the run game, as witnessed by the two runs on 3rd-and-1 and 4th-and-1 that ended Bradford's first drive. So what happened to the interior line and what's next?

Hank Fraley did nothing to impress, at either spot. He seemed to lack power and mobility, getting owned at the line. Fraley helped anchor a pretty good OL in Cleveland in 2007, but in the two subsequent years, the middle part of the Browns' OL was weak. I don't know much else about the Browns' OL, so I present that fact with an asterisk next to it. Brown and Goldberg both have precedent on their sides, particularly Brown who was back in familiar territory at C when Bradford came into the game, ditto for Goldberg. I suspect having Fraley next to Jason Smith made his struggles with defenders getting around him on the inside slightly more pronounced. The running backs also did a poor job in pass protection on those plays. 

I asked the guys at Pro Football Focus via Twitter about the logic in Spags decision about Brown, here's what they said:

There's logic to it. RG is the most on an island of the 3 interior guys, so the most likely to be 1 on 1 vs the DT

That was Richie Incognito at that spot last year, for most of the season anyway. And it makes you think that Greco would be the first in line for that job this year, given his size. After him, you drop further down the depth chart to guys who may have some talent, but lack the experience, e.g. Roger Allen III. 

Bell is expected to be back in action this week, though limited, begging the question of whether or not they'll move Goldberg, 309 lbs, to the right side. Greco is out another week, at least. 

The most watched story in the Rams camp this week will be the offensive line. The tackles will get most of the press, but the configuration of the interior will be important to keep you eye on too. 

The St. Louis Rams start preseason play tomorrow night, with a game against the Vikings in St. Louis. Injuries will keep a few big names on the sideline while several other players who have been nursing an injury will be ready to go. Let's review:

You saw VT's fanshot, but it's worth repeating. A.J. Feeley will start the game, work for a mere 8-12 plays before giving way to Sam Bradford. Reading between the lines, what does that tell you? The Rams must feel like Bradford is closer than many thought he would be as fas as being ready to start. This still qualifies as easing him in, but the coaches must already be thinking about Bradford starting in week 1. Remember, Feeley hasn't thrown a pass in an NFL game since 2007, meaning he could use a little practice himself.

Steven Jackson won't play much, "if at all," while the team eases him in after summer back surgery. Obviously Jackson knows what he's  doing, but lost training camp time has been a factor in slow starts before. Fortunately, Jackson has been practicing, and he'll surely get a few preseason reps before Sep. 12. 

OT Jason Smith is expected to play, after missing some time in camp recovering from a broken toe. He'll be on the right side with the ones. Jacob Bell and John Greco are out for Saturday night's action. 

Craig Dahl will start at SS in place of the injured James Butler, who could miss a month with what is believed to be a torn MCL. Butler had been the defense's QB, but Dahl has a proven track record and MLB James Laurinaitis assumes a much bigger role in his second season.

The Rams leading scorer last season will not play this weekend. K Josh Brown has an injured hip, and the team has signed former Washington and Dallas kicker Shaun Suisham. Hmm, you wonder how much longer Brown will be around. The Rams signed him to a 5-year deal in 2008, and he'll make $7.4 million over the next three years. Could they look to him if they need to trim salary down the road?

CB Ron Bartell is out this week, but should be ready for the next game. 

Rough night for Marc Bulger. Reliving his Rams days, the Ravens' backup fumbled on a sack. 

The St. Louis Rams have cancelled this evening's practice, originally scheduled for 6:15 p.m. They'll have one practice tomorrw at 2 p.m. which will be their last practice before Saturday's preseason game against the Vikings. 

Spagnuolo is happy with the team's progress, which is what led him to 86 practice tonight. He'll be taking the team to see a movie instead, but which flick?

Tomorrow's practice is open to the public...weather permitting. 

We've got lots of great new photos from training camp. Click on the image of Steven Jackson above to see the full gallery, including a sweet shot of Danny Amendola, the poor man's Wes Welker, hauling in another beauty. 

The St. Louis Rams just bumped up the start date for the Sam Bradford era. The Rams open the preseason on Saturday against the Minnesota Vikings. Bradford will not start that game, but he will get significant time in the first half with the first team offense.

Playing time in the team's preseason opener for various players will be determined sometime in the next 24 hours. 

Back to King Sam. ESPN's John Clayton has this to say about the Rams first overall pick in his mailbag column at ESPN today:

The more I think about St. Louis Rams rookie Sam Bradford, the more convinced I am he is going to be a top quarterback. The Rams might not start him in the season opener, but he'll play at least 12 games this season.

Honestly, at the rate things are going, I'll be surprised if Bradford isn't starting in the season opener, though there's lots of time left before Sep. 12. 

Bradford may have the national media attention in the wake of his performance in the scrimmage last weekend, but St. Louis still loves Steven Jackson. The Rams made SJ39 available to the media after this morning's practice. Jackson praised the progress of his offensive unit. Most notably, he commented on the timing of the o-line and the running backs as much improved from the last season and said that the Rams will be a better "screen team." They better be, because the screen pass ought to be one of their primary weapons this season with a healthy Steven Jackson and a rookie QB.