ST. LOUIS (AP) -The bye week was productive for the St. Louis Rams. The former NFC West doormats returned to practice rested and feisty, and tied for first place in the division.
Not only that, the Rams (4-4) hold the tiebreaker over the Seattle Seahawks (4-4), who had been leading the division before losing 40-7 to the Giants on Sunday.
That’s major progress for the Rams, even if they’re playing in the NFL’s weakest division.
When they returned to work Monday, players felt refreshed from four days off and excited about entering the second half with a legitimate shot.
“It’s always fun playing games when they mean more,” middle linebacker James Laurinaitis said. “We set a goal this offseason to win the NFC West, just like Arizona did, just like San Francisco did, just like Seattle did.
“It’s there if we just kind of hunker down.”
Coach Steve Spagnuolo is recharged, too. He and wife Maria took advantage of unseasonable balmy temperatures Sunday and rode a mo-ped in Forest Park.
“Had sunglasses on,” he said. “So I stayed low.”
Back on the field, he didn’t detect any premature satisfaction. When the Rams were 3-3 just a few weeks ago he reminded them that it was no great achievement, that it meant they were only average.
“We’re aware of the stats and standings,” Spagnuolo said. “We acknowledge them both good and bad, but we don’t focus on them. We just move on.
“These guys know we’ve got a pretty tough game on Sunday.”
Spagnuolo consistently refuses to dwell on the past or peer too far into the future, giving his stock response of, “I’m not going there.” His strategy of separating the failures no doubt helped keep players motivated during last year’s 1-15 disaster, and now it’s rare for a player to get caught looking too far ahead.
Safety O.J. Atogwe took that attitude to the extreme, insisting several times that he did not know the Rams were in first place.
“I don’t look at the standings, that’s the only time they count,” Atogwe said. “During the season you can be first to last, last to first. We’ve still got work to do.”
But he also acknowledged that this November has a different feel from the past three seasons, when the Rams were a combined 6-42 and picked second, second and first in the draft.
“You know you’re competing, you’re aware of what’s going around you,” Atogwe said. “Everything you set out at the beginning of the year is still ahead of you to attain, and that’s a good feeling.”
Wide receiver Danny Amendola went home to Dallas during the bye to visit family and friends, and relaxed – unless he was watching games on Sunday.
“I honestly hated watching football on Sunday,” Amendola said. “It’s nice resting but I’m ready to be back.”
Laurinaitis was held out Monday to allow more time to heal from a minor knee injury, but said he’d be back Wednesday.
“It’s fine,” Laurinaitis said. “Just a little rest.”
Offensive tackle Jason Smith returned from a concussion that sidelined him for the Rams’ victory over the Panthers before the bye. Guard Adam Goldberg was sent home due to illness but Spagnuolo expected him back on Wednesday, and linebacker Brit Miller was out with a pulled calf muscle from the final pre-bye workout.
Spagnuolo ruled out wide receiver Danario Alexander, rehabbing from a fifth operation on his left knee, for this week, and said he was “nowhere close” to returning to practice.
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