by By Jim Thomas jthomas@post-dispatch.com 314-340-8197 , St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Over the next nine days, the Rams will sprinkle in six days' worth of practice sessions known as OTAs (organized team activities). Then, the players scatter until training camp begins at the end of July.

"We have a long way to go, only in that there's still a lot of things that we've got to lay foundation-wise," Spagnuolo said. "What you really don't know until you get into those preseason games is how you stack up against the other teams."

Per NFL guidelines, full pads and anything resembling full contact is prohibited during the spring minicamps and OTAs. That all changes with the start of training camp, and of course, the preseason games.

In the spring, a wide receiver may look flashy running around "in pajamas" as Dick Vermeil used to call it. But how will that receiver respond during two-a-days in August when he goes over the middle and gets thumped by a safety from behind?

Similarly, the Rams invested heavily in the offensive line during the offseason, luring center Jason Brown from Baltimore with a big free-agent contract and using the No. 2 overall pick in the draft on tackle Jason Smith. Can Smith pass-block well enough to meet NFL standards as a rookie? Will Brown be as good as advertised?

It's hard to know for sure until the pads come on. So even Spagnuolo and his coaching staff have resisted making hard-and-fast judgments on players so far. To a large degree, that wasn't what the offseason conditioning program, minicamps, and OTAs were about at Rams Park.

"Right now the primary focus is on those things you really can't measure," Spagnuolo said. "I've talked about that before - the team chemistry, the unity. I'm always pounding that. I'm always talking about how efficient they have or have not been on the practice field. ... I said this way back in the first minicamp (in April) that it was a lot about learning how to practice. I think they've got it now."

It has also been about learning a new playbook under new coordinators Pat Shurmur (offense) and Ken Flajole (defense).

"We were talking about that this morning - Pat, Ken and I," Spagnuolo said Saturday. "We're between 70 and 80 percent (installed). ... The bulk of it's in."

The offense will be an intriguing blend of power running behind Steven Jackson and the West Coast passing scheme. But gaping holes remain on the depth chart, and most observers wonder if the Rams have enough at wide receiver.

Donnie Avery, Keenan Burton and Laurent Robinson finish the spring as the top three wideouts, but Burton has missed valuable practice time because of a hamstring injury. Is there another Isaac Bruce or Torry Holt in that group, or among backups Brooks Foster, Tim Carter and Chad Lucas?

"We have a ways to go," quarterback Marc Bulger said. "I don't think there will ever be another Torry and Isaac, but our guys are working hard. They're starting to make plays. I think they are playing faster now because they are starting to learn what's going on."

There remains no clear-cut No. 2 running back behind Jackson, who has missed eight games entirely and most of two others because of injury over the past two seasons. When asked if he had a preferred "type" of backup for Jackson, Shurmur deadpanned: "We want Steven in there."

So far, it looks like Kenneth Darby is the leading contender for the No. 2 spot.

On defense, the release of Pisa Tinoisamoa has put the strongside linebacker spot up for grabs. David Vobora and Larry Grant have been sharing practice reps there recently, but veteran Chris Draft got some work at strongside during the just-completed minicamp.

"Nothing's locked in right now," Flajole said.

The talent and depth at cornerback remain questionable once you get past Ron Bartell, with Tye Hill trying to re-establish himself, and unproven Jonathan Wade and Justin King currently the top backups.

Personnel-wise, the Rams have been quiet lately in terms of roster additions. But if there's still work to be done, there's also time to get it done.

As Shurmur said: "We're not playing next week."

Copyright 2009 St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Inc. All Rights Reserved
	Terms & Conditions     Privacy Copyright © 2009 LexisNexis, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.