Monday, Aug. 31, 2009

'You feel normal, but you're messed up': Rams Bell comes back from concussion

He took a shot to head during game with Jets

ST. LOUIS -- Left guard Jacob Bell didn't realize that he had sustained a concussion in the St. Louis Rams' preseason opener against the New York Jets on Aug. 14.

"Even when you do have a concussion, you don't know you have a concussion,'' Bell said. "You feel normal. I was talking to everybody on the sidelines, and I'm going back five minutes later and asking the same question like Dorrie in 'Finding Nemo.'

"You feel normal, but on the outside looking in, you're messed up.''

Bell returned to practice Sunday, 16 days after sustaining the concussion.

"It felt great,'' Bell said. "It was good to get back in the swing of things. It's good to get back now.''

Bell made sure to get some early contact to see how he felt.

"I started out early popping the rookies in individual drills, just trying to get my helmet loose, and see if my marbles are still loose or there,'' Bell said.

Bell said he once had a slight concussion playing for Miami University-Ohio, but nothing like one the one he sustained against the Jets.

Bell was injured pulling to his right to make a block on a running play. Bell had his head down as he and Jets linebacker Bart Scott met in a helmet-to-helmet collision.

"He came round the corner, he was pulling, and the linebacker caught him,'' Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo said. "He didn't expect it at all. He hadn't even gotten his eyes around.''

Bell said he suffered from headaches and memory loss for three days after sustaining the concussion. He didn't remember the collision with Scott, or anything else about the game against the Jets.

"I didn't remember going to New York,'' Bell said. "I didn't remember anything. I was messed up, man. You get a concussion, it's like time travels. You see little blips, and then three days, two days later, you start remembering everything.''

Bell said he has watched the play on film -- twice. He said it was a legal hit by Scott.

"Sometimes you get the bull, sometimes the bull gets you,'' Bell said.

Bell said he made mistake by having his head down as he pulled.

"You put your head down, you put yourself vulnerable to any kind of collision like that,'' Bell said. "They've been telling me since I was a rookie, 'Don't put your head down when you pull.' I've had success with it in the past just popping people.

"He's a big dude, he came straight down hill. He saw the play before the rest of the guys did, he came straight down hill, helmet to helmet. I had my head down and that's all she wrote.''

Bell actually remained in the game for another play.

"The second play, I was like a robot out there,'' Bell said. "They're like, 'Hey, block him.' I probably could have blocked him with my eyes closed. They probably should have left me in there to see what happened.''

All joking side, Bell knows that concussions are serious injuries.

"It's really scary,'' Bell said. "I'm glad they held me out the two weeks, and kind of got things back to normal.''

Bulger does some throwing

Quarterback Marc Bulger, who has been sidelined two weeks with a broken pinkie finger, threw 21 passes before practice Sunday morning.

"He said it felt OK, but that's all we had planned on him doing, just to see where he was,'' Bulger said.

Spagnuolo said Bulger's injury will be re-evaluated today.

"I think the plan is to see what it feels like tomorrow morning after having the 21 throws,'' Spagnuolo said. "Then we'll go from there.''

Spagnuolo said he would like for Bulger to see some action in the Rams' final preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday night.

Quick hits

Right guard Richie Incognito was held out of practice Sunday because of what Spagnuolo called a mild knee injury.

With Incognito out, Adam Goldberg slid from right tackle to right guard, and rookie Jason Smith worked at right tackle with the starting unit.

* Fullback Mike Karney also didn't practice. Spagnuolo said the sprained ankle that kept Karney out of the Rams' first two preseason games flared up.

* Cornerback Jonathan Wade got some time with the starting defense in practice.