Rams cornerback Antoine Thompson hadn't seen wide receiver Danario Alexander on a football field since last Sept. 25. Thompson would prefer to forget that initial meeting.
"We went head-to-head, and he got the best of me that night," Thompson said. "He had a pretty good game."
Alexander caught nine passes for 170 yards and touchdowns of 31 and 74 yards in Missouri's 31-21 victory over Thompson's Nevada outfit. Alexander went on to lead the nation in receiving yards, with 1,781 on 113 catches, 14 for TDs.
Thompson and Alexander met up again Monday at Rams Park. Both arrived as undrafted rookies, although Thompson has been around since early May. Alexander is the newest Ram, signed Sunday after working out for team officials.
His first practice wasn't filled with highlights. He was in for a total 14 plays in 11-on-11 and seven-on-seven drills. Three balls were thrown his way. None was caught.
But, as Alexander noted, it's a start.
"It felt pretty good to come out and get a little action," Alexander said. "I've been out of football since the Senior Bowl, so it's always to get back on the field."
The 6-foot-5, 215-pound Alexander is "a big guy, a big body, a physical dude," Thompson said. "He's a pretty big target, and athletically he can move pretty good, too. I think he'll be a good receiver for the Rams."
First, Alexander has to get up to speed, both on the field and with an offensive scheme that bears virtually no resemblance to the spread that Mizzou runs.
"He's got a lot of catching up to do," coach Steve Spagnuolo said.
To that end, Alexander vowed to put in extra time. "I'll be here early and late, trying to get everything together," he said. "I'll be in my playbook as soon as I get back home. I'm behind with the plays, so it's going to take some time. ...
"I'm going to try my best to be the best player I can be."
For that to happen, he'll need his left knee, which has undergone four operations, to cooperate. His most recent surgery, the result of a knee injury at the Senior Bowl in late January, and the subsequent rehab almost certainly kept Alexander from being drafted and delayed his move to the pros.
He reported that the knee felt "pretty good (Monday). I haven't had any problems. I'll be testing it every day, doing different things on it until I feel a hundred percent comfortable."
The interlude between the April draft and his signing was tough to deal with, Alexander conceded. "It was frustrating at the beginning, watching the draft and seeing all my friends get drafted," he said. "But I had to get my mind set. I had to rehab every day to get to the point where I am right now."
After Alexander visited with the Rams and took a physical exam earlier this month, "They wanted me to go back and get a little more rehab, be more game-ready, practice-ready," he said. "That's what I did, and they made the call."
INJURY UPDATES
Wide receivers Keenan Burton and Mardy Gilyard missed practice. Burton was excused to tend to a family emergency, and Gilyard was ill. Linebacker David Vobora left early after tweaking a hamstring that had been bothering him for a few days.
Also out were quarterback A.J. Feeley (thumb, elbow), guard John Greco (chest), defensive end Victor Adeyanju (ankle), safety James Butler (knee), tight end Daniel Fells (knee), cornerback Marquis Johnson (shoulder), wide receiver Brandon McRae (ankle), linebacker Dominic Douglas (hamstring) and defensive end George Selvie (leg).
RAM-BLINGS
According to a league source, former Rams defensive tackle Claude Wroten has been reinstated after his one-year suspension for violating the NFL's substance-abuse policy. Wroten becomes an unrestricted free agent. ... The final practice of training camp — and the last one open to the public — begins at 2:30 p.m. today.
