| 10 August 2009
With Rams' WR Donnie Avery being sidelined for four to six weeks due to a stress fracture suffered in his foot Friday, St. Louis is already facing offensive concerns.
Longtime team staple Torry Holt was released from the team in March and signed with the Jaguars soon after. With Avery down, the current No.1 on the Rams' depth chart is Keenan Burton, who tallied 13 receptions for 172 yards and 1 touchdown in 13 games last season.
This is a situation that should sound all too familiar for Hawks fans.
The Rams are now faced with limited options as far as possible fill-ins are concerned. Mike Sando lists a group of available free agent receivers here, with most of the candidates carrying some issues -- both on and off the field. And guess whose names you'll find included?
Billy McMullen, Darrell Jackson and Koren Robinson.
I'm a little confused as to why Robinson's name is listed, because he apparently signed with the UFL-based Orlando Tuskers last week. That aside, the top prospect on the list looks to be former Bucs wideout Ike Hilliard, who was productive last year but is 33 years old and injury-prone.
Avery's injury could sideline him until the Sept. 13 season opener, in which the Rams come to none other than Qwest Field. This would leave the Rams painfully short-handed at receiver, despite the fact that they boast a significantly-improved offensive line to help Marc Bulger and Steven Jackson. However, if last season taught us anything, it's that preseason is far too early to make lavish predictions on how Week 1 -- let alone the entire season -- will play out. Anything could happen from here.
But the parallels of the 2009 Rams' and 2008 Seahawks' issues at wide receiver remain quite similar. The Rams did just sign veteran Ronald Curry to the position, but Curry was released by the Raiders and then acquired from the Lions via a trade for DT Orien Harris. I'm no agent, but if your career in the NFL takes you from the Raiders to the Lions to the Rams within almost the same month, it might be time to hang 'em up.
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