Rams' Stedman Bailey reinstated, but still recovering from gunshot wounds

EARTH CITY, Mo. -- Wide receiver Stedman Bailey, who is continuing his recovery from being shot twice in the head on Nov. 24 in Miami, was reinstated from the suspended list Monday. The Rams received a roster exemption for Bailey that expires next Monday (Dec. 14). The Rams are expected to place Bailey on reserve/non-football injury.

Said head coach Jeff Fisher, "We'll take care of Sted - that's our intention. He comes off (the suspended list), he's eligible to play. By no means is he in any kind of condition to play right now."

When asked how Bailey is doing, Fisher said, "He's doing better. Thanks for asking. It puts a smile on my face when I get to think about him and where he's at right now."

Asked about his future beyond this season, Fisher said, "Are you asking is there a potential that he doesn't return to play? Yes, there is that potential. We don't know. It is just going to take some time. However, based on what he's done over the last 10 days, he may surprise everybody."

--Rams offensive assistant Kenan Smith will become more involved with the tight ends now that Rob Boras will be the offensive coordinator and play-caller. Smith started working closely with Boras and the tight ends during OTAs.

Said head coach Jeff Fisher, "He's got a good feel. He'll handle that. Tight ends, it's a smart group, sharp group. They've been well-coached. They know how to prepare, so Kenan will do a good job there."

--There was a degree of surprise when punter Johnny Hekker came on the field for the opening kickoff in Sunday's game against Arizona, It turns out kicker Zach Hocker had suffered a strained quad in pregame warm-ups and it was decided to have someone else handle kickoffs. Hocker did make a 35-yard field goal for the Rams' only points of the game.

Hocker was kicking in his second game because regular kicker Greg Zuerlein suffered a hip injury in practice the day before the previous week's game against Cincinnati.

Head coach Jeff Fisher said he was seeking volunteers to kick off before the game started.

Said Fisher, "I went through the locker room and I was just asking guys if they've ever kicked before, and I had two yeses. One from (defensive end Matt) Longacre and one from (wide receiver) Wes Welker. Fortunately, we didn't have to get to that point."

Welker was seen practicing some kickoffs just before game time.

Hekker kicked off twice. Both were low kicks. One went for a touchback and the other was mishandled by Cardinals returner Kerwynn Williams, who fumbled out of bounds at the 2-yard line.

Said Hekker, "Haven't kicked off since high school, so that was fun for me. It's a very different swing than punting. It puts some stress on your groin, and it's something that we try to stay away from."

The kicking off didn't affect his punting, as Hekker punted eight times for a 54.5-yard average and 48.5-yard net. Five ended up inside the 20.

Longacre actually did some kicking as a freshman at a Nebraska high school and was also a soccer player because in Nebraska soccer is played in the spring so he could do both. Earlier this season while on the practice squad, he hit a 52-yard field goal in practice.

Meanwhile, Fisher said Monday Hocker was having an MRI learn the extent of the injury. As for Zuerlein, Fisher said, "I am optimistic that Greg has a chance to come back and kick Wednesday and then kick Friday and then we'll see where he is."

--It was a tough afternoon for cornerback Janoris Jenkins. In the first quarter, he was knocked out by teammate T.J. McDonald as they were defending Arizona wide receiver Michael Floyd. He went to the locker room to be evaluated for a possible concussion, but was cleared and came back for the next possession, missing only five plays.

However, he was flatted again by a teammate, this time by Mark Barron on a 10-yard touchdown play to running back David Johnson. He didn't return and begins the week in the concussion protocol.

The Rams were already short-handed with cornerback Trumaine Johnson out because of a thigh injury. Marcus Roberson, who started for Johnson, and Lamarcus Joyner were the only other cornerbacks dressed for the game.

Jenkins was "doing fine" Monday according to Fisher and is "ahead of schedule, according to the doctors."

As for Johnson, Fisher said, "Tru had a good day today (Monday) in the training room. We're hopeful that he'll come back."

Fisher said tight end Lance Kendricks, who was also evaluated for a concussion during Sunday's game, is also in the protocol and ahead of schedule, according to Fisher.

Notes: Safety T.J. McDonald was limping after Sunday's game, but is also dealing with a shoulder injury. Fisher said there is "some concern" over McDonald and added, "We're doing tests on the shoulder and we'll see where that goes once we get the results back." ... Defensive end Robert Quinn missed another game Sunday because of a back injury and Fisher said he would be "again questionable." Fisher said, "He's making progress but we're going to do some further tests." Quinn has missed four of the last five games and in the one game he played in Week 10 against Chicago played just 14 snaps.

REPORT CARD VS. CARDINALS

--PASSING OFFENSE: F. The only positive was that QB Nick Foles wasn't sacked. But that's it. Foles completed 15-of-35 passes for just 146 yards with an interception and passer rating of 43.3 In his last four starts, Foles' passer rating has gone down every game from 68.8, 53.0, 49.9 and 43.3. In a meaningless fourth-quarter drive, he completed 5-of-10 passes for 56 yards, so his numbers for the rest of the game were 10-for-25 for 90 yards. TE Jared Cook had nine targets, but had only three receptions for 22 yards, WR Kenny Britt had two catches on six targets and WR Brian Quick had one reception on six targets. WR Tavon Austin was targeted just three times and had one catch for 24 yards.

--RUSHING OFFENSE: D. RB Todd Gurley finally had a big play with a run of 34 yards, but only seven yards on eight other attempts. Austin had just two touches as a runner for 14 yards. Not including Gurley's 34-yarder and two kneeldowns by Foles, the Rams had 34 rushing yards on 12 attempts.

--PASS DEFENSE: D. QB Carson Palmer pretty much did what he wanted. He was 26-for-40 for 356 yards and two touchdowns with 21 receptions by WRs Larry Fitzgerald (8-55), Michael Floyd (7-104) and John Brown (6-113). Palmer's passer rating was 110.0.

--RUN DEFENSE: C-minus. The defense was on the field so much, they were bound to run down. In the first half, RB David Johnson had 66 yards on 14 carries. In the second half, he added 33 more, while Kerwynn Williams rushed for 59 yards on six attempts, including a 35-yard touchdown. Even Stepfan Taylor had 20 yards on five rushes as the Cardinals totaled 178 yards rushing, not including three kneeldowns.

--SPECIAL TEAMS: C. Mostly, it was good save for a holding penalty that cost Austin 38 yards on a punt return. Trailing 10-0 at halftime, the Rams forced a three-and-out on Arizona's first possession of the third quarter. Austin field a punt at his own 30 and was finally brought down at the Cardinals 3-yard line. However, Chase Reynolds was guilty of the hold at the Arizona 41 and the ball went back to the 49. Otherwise, Hekker was exemplary on punting and coverage was good.

--COACHING: C. The tendency is to point the finger at coaching when things don't go well, but poor blocking from an inexperienced line and inconsistent quarterback play will make any coaches look bad. Coordinator Frank Cignetti took the fall Monday, but reality is not a whole lot can be done unless blocking and quarterback play improves.