by Sports Xchange

--RG Richie Incognito rode the bike during practice Monday and appears questionable for Sunday's game against New Orleans. Incognito suffered a foot injury on Oct. 25 against the Colts, and he is no longer in need of the walking boot he was wearing.

--WR/KR Danny Amendola returned to practice Monday and said he is fully recovered from the concussion he suffered Nov. 1 against Detroit.

--DE C.J. Ah You did most of the work in practice Monday as he recovers from an ankle injury.

--WR Ruvell Martin practiced Monday, but he still has the upper portion of his left leg wrapped to protect his hamstring.

--CB Ron Bartell said his leg felt better because of the days off for the bye, but he's still not 100 percent from a quad injury that has affected his performance.

REPORT CARD AFTER EIGHT GAMES

PASSING OFFENSE: D -- A young and inexperienced receiving corps has contributed to a conservative passing attack. With WR Laurent Robinson lost early in the season, there have been no consistent receivers. Keenan Burton is the team leader with a mere 25 catches, and he's averaged just 10.1 yards a reception. QBs Marc Bulger and Kyle Boller have passer ratings under 70, completion percentages of 57 percent or lower than an average per attempt of less than 5.70. Three of the five receivers currently on the roster -- Danny Amendola, Ruvell Martin and Brandon Gibson -- weren't with the team in training camp. Only Amendola, with 15, has caught a pass. TEs Randy McMichael and Daniel Fells have been inconsistent catching the ball, although Fells has three touchdowns, one on a fake field goal.

RUSHING OFFENSE: B-plus -- Defenses have stacked the box, but that hasn't stopped RB Steven Jackson from totaling 784 yards and averaging 4.8 yards per carry. Of course, he has the team's only rushing touchdown of the season, the game-winner against Detroit. No backup of top quality has emerged. Kenneth Darby is second on the team with 57 yards on 11 attempts.

PASS DEFENSE: C -- For the most part, the pass defense has been solid, although there hasn't been much of a pass rush. A large part of that has been the Rams have never had a two-possession lead in any game, so obvious passing situations haven't occurred very much. Opponents have completed 63.7 percent of their passes with a 91.9 passer rating.

RUSH DEFENSE: B-minus -- There have been some individual breakdowns at times, but overall the run defense has improved. Opponents are averaging 4.2 yards per rush, and an aggressive defense has cut down on the big plays.

SPECIAL TEAMS: B -- Amendola has given a lift to the return game, averaging 24.0 yards on kickoffs and 8.5 on punts. The coverage has been solid (22.7 on kickoffs, 6.1 on punts). P Donnie Jones remains one of the best in the league with a 46.0-yard average and 41.3 net. He has also placed 15 of 43 punts inside the 20. After a rocky start, PK Josh Brown has made seven of 10 field-goal attempts and two of three from 50 yards or farther.

COACHING: B -- On a young staff that is learning, the coaches have done the best possible job with the talent on hand. Most important, head coach Steve Spagnuolo has his players buying in to his team-first mantra, which has kept them practicing and playing hard despite winning just one of eight games.