National Football League

Spagnuolo happy to be playing again Friday

Published Aug. 23, 2011 5:40 a.m. ET

foxsports

This short work week is just fine with coach Steve Spagnuolo and the St. Louis Rams. The sooner they can erase the bad taste from Week 2 of the preseason, the better.

Players practiced on Monday for the first time since the starters struggled on both sides of the ball against the Tennessee Titans two days earlier.

The defense got beat several times on cutback runs and the offense stalled after getting an 83-yard touchdown on its first snap.

Spagnuolo said it was a work in progress. He's counting on it looking a lot better on Friday night when the Rams (2-0) play at Kansas City (0-2) in the annual Governor's Cup game.

More injuries popped up on Monday, perhaps the most significant a calf injury to tight end Mike Hoomanawanui that was diagnosed as a strain. Spagnuolo said the team was concerned.

Defensive tackle Daniel Muir aggravated an ankle injury and wide receiver Mardy Gilyard was unable to loosen up a thigh injury.

An MRI on wide receiver Danario Alexander's often-injured left knee showed no new problems.

Spagnuolo said the MRI was given to Alexander, who has had five operations, to put the player's ''mind at ease.''

''It's not that anything happened, it's just that it feels funny and we want to make sure we're not dealing with anything serious.''

Offensive tackle Rodger Saffold, sidelined with a sore back in the second quarter Saturday, returned. Defensive end Chris Long returned quickly from a bone spur between his toes that has cropped up from time to time, saying he felt fine.

Long said the injury probably would have gone unnoticed had he not been seen on the telecast with an ice bag on the foot.

''It's just something you deal with every now and then, just a bit of a bad wheel,'' Long said. ''It flares up some times but I'm good. It's nothing I can't play with and nothing that won't improve quickly.''