Aug. 16, 2008

The Rams cornered the market on bad luck last season, with key players going down for the count with injuries at just about every position on a disturbingly regular basis. And heading into the 2008 campaign, it appears there’s been a carryover effect in that regard at the CB position. Starting RCB Fakhir Brown’s status is considered up in the air for possibly the first couple of regular-season games due to a torn rotator cuff suffered on the first weekend of training camp, and fourth-round CB Justin King, who was impressive enough in camp to move ahead of holdover Jonathan Wade into the No. 4 CB job, suffered a season-ending toe injury in the preseason opener. We hear there is some good news at the position, however, courtesy of two other holdovers who reportedly had excellent camps — starting LCB Tye Hill and usual No. 3 CB Ron Bartell, who has done well starting in Brown’s absence. Hill, who missed eight games last season due to injuries to his lower back and left wrist, is particularly worth watching. Daily team observers believe the 2006 first-round draft pick could be ready to make the same kind of quantum leap in his third season that starting Rams FS O.J. Atogwe made in his third season last year, provided Hill can avoid the dreaded injury bug. The versatile Bartell, meanwhile, is arguably considered the most reliable defender on the team at the moment.