ST. LOUIS -- Newly acquired Brandon Lloyd looked good in his first practice with the Rams. Mark Clayton is back, too.
Now they just need someone to throw them the ball.
Quarterback Sam Bradford didn't practice Wednesday while receiving treatment for a high left ankle sprain, increasing the likelihood that journeyman backup A.J. Feeley will start Sunday at Dallas. Bradford's injury routinely sidelines players for up to one month, but Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo had some hope that the quarterback could play because although his mobility would be compromised, his plant leg isn't affected.
"I don't want to think, to be honest with you," Spagnuolo said when asked about Bradford, who's still wearing a walking boot. "I don't venture to take any guesses on high ankle sprains. I've seen them go all different ways, so I don't know."
Bradford said the ankle was improved from earlier in the week, and he believed the decision to play or not would be a matter of "pain tolerance." Bradford didn't believe having practice time this week was a must.
"Obviously, I have to be able to drop back," Bradford said. "I have to be able to have some mobility where I'm not just standing back there."
Bradford, who was born in Oklahoma City and won the 2008 Heisman Trophy at the University of Oklahoma, said he'd try his best to get ready "whether we were playing in Dallas or in Alaska."
"I've had this Dallas game circled for a while now, knowing that it's about as close to home as I get," Bradford said. "It'd mean a lot for me to play down there, so hopefully I'll be ready."
Spagnuolo said the Rams wanted Bradford to keep his foot elevated, so the quarterback wasn't even on the field Wednesday. Feeley was preparing to start, but he said he wouldn't be surprised if Bradford tried to play.
"He's a tough kid and he wants to play and he wants to take this team on his back," Feeley said of Bradford, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 draft. "That's the way it should be."
Jokingly, Lloyd said it didn't matter who was behind center against the Cowboys. The Rams acquired the Pro Bowl wide receiver from the Denver Broncos on Monday for a conditional draft pick, and Spagnuolo said Lloyd made several catches in practice.
"I'm pretty used to switching around quarterbacks," Lloyd said, following up with a laugh. "It doesn't matter who the quarterback is. No."
Lloyd and Clayton, whom the Rams activated from the physically unable to perform list from a knee injury, hope to be on the field against the Cowboys. Clayton was Bradford's go-to guy at the start of last season, with 22 receptions for 300 yards and two touchdowns in four games before injuring his knee.
Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press
