Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2009

Rams coach enjoys bye weekend with bike ride in Forest Park

Incognito not expected to work this week

ST. LOUIS -- St. Louis Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo went bike riding with his wife, Maria, during the team's bye weekend.

"I didn't get hurt; nothing happened to me,'' Spagnuolo said. "I was OK. I needed a good nap after that.''

Spagnuolo and his wife pedaled around Forest Park on Saturday.

"I didn't realize how big Forest Park was, seriously,'' Spagnuolo said. "I was impressed with the beauty of it. People were all over the place. They've got a museum, a boat house. Then there is a theater, the Muny that looked awesome. I tell you what, I was impressed. I thought it was a beautiful park and we enjoyed it."

Asked if he tried the paddle boats on the lake at the park, Spagnuolo said, "Oh no, we just stayed on the bike. I wasn't going to live too dangerously. But, we got beautiful weather and God blessed us with a great bye week. I know some guys went in and out of town, but the guys that stayed around got a chance to enjoy St. Louis, which is what we did."

Like Spagnuolo, the Rams players used the bye week to get recharged after a disappointing first half to the 2009 season.

Rams rookie right tackle Jason Smith watched his alma mater, Baylor, beat Missouri 40-32 Saturday at Faurot Field in Columbia, Mo.

"Being around the guys that I played with last year and seeing how hard they are working, reminded me of how we are here,'' Smith said.

Smith said he cheered the Bears from Baylor's alumni cheering section.

"I was able to travel with the team as an alumni in the alumni section, not that they were going to try to get me to donate some money or something,'' Smith said. "It was just good to be around that guys.''

Rams rookie linebacker James Laurinaitis also went back to his alma mater, Ohio State.

"It gave me chance to see a lot of familiar faces, a lot of guys I spent the last four years of my life with, and the coaching staff,'' Laurinaitis said. "I felt like was back with the big family that Ohio State is.''

Rams wide receiver-kick returner Danny Amendola had an early Thanksgiving dinner with his family in Dallas, Texas.

"My stepbrother and a bunch of my family members are going out of town, so I ate a lot of turkey,'' Amendola said.

Several members of Amendola's family work on off-shore oil rigs off the Gulf Coast, so they're gone for months at a time.

"It was just the only time that we were going to be all together for a number of months,'' Amendola said.

Rams safety Oshiomogho Atogwe went to California to chill out during the bye week.

But old habits are hard to break, and Atogwe admitted spending Sunday watching football on TV.

"Its hard to truly get away from the game because it's a game that you enjoy so much,'' Atogwe said. "I watch football pretty all day yesterday, from the early game to the late game.''

Spagnuolo also couldn't stay totally away from football on Sunday.

"I watched a little bit of the early game that was on,'' Spagnuolo said. "I was trying not to do too much football. I was trying to spend time with my wife, but I did peek in and out."

Rams notes

The Rams have yet to fill the roster safety Anthony Smith's roster spot. Smith was released by the Rams late last week, and claimed off waivers by the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Rams claimed Smith off waivers from the Green Bay Packers over Labor Day weekend. ... Right guard Richie Incognito was the only player who didn't practice on Wednesday. Incognito has a Lisfranc sprain to his left foot. Spagniolo said Incognito, who had a protective boot taken off his foot on Monday, isn't expected to practice this week. ... Defensive end C.J. Ah You, who has a high ankle sprain, was able to take part in most of practice on Monday.

Contact Steve Korte at skorte@bnd.com or 239-2522.