Rams LB Bryan Kehl: Preseason, schmeseason

St. Louis Rams linebacker Bryan Kehl is ready to get the 2011 NFL season started...the regular season. As far as the preseason goes, the idea of missing a couple of those games has a certain appeal. Kehl shared his feelings about the preseason with a television station in his hometown of Salt Lake City.

Nobody likes the preseason. If they get a deal done and we roll into camp in mid-August, play one or two preseason games, I think everybody would be pretty happy. Deals get done when there's pressure on, and the pressure is on now because everybody loses if games are missed.

Kehl may be pleasantly surprised. After looking like it would be wrapped up soon, talks bottomed out this week, only to be saved with a late night session on Thursday and again the next morning. Owners, players and their legal teams took a break away from the negotiating table over the weekend, but are reportedly continuing to work on the details of the agreement. 

The Rams' preseason, part of it anyway, is in jeopardy as the scheduled start of training camp is less than three weeks away now. If talks drag on much longer, their scheduled appearance in the Hall of Fame Game on August 7 might be a stretch given all the work left to do in order to get camp started. 

As for Kehl, he'll be a player who has some stake in the preseason, needing that time to secure a spot on the Rams roster. Kehl is a special teams contributor who was part of the team's rotation on the weakside last year. It seems very likely that the Rams will look for free agent help at linebacker.