bad news on ogletree

Rams LB Alec Ogletree to have right ankle surgery; prognosis uncertain

Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/13811619/alec-ogletree-st-louis-rams-surgery-right-ankle

GLENDALE, Ariz. — The St. Louis Rams will be without emerging linebacker Alec Ogletree for extended time, possibly the season, after he suffered a right ankle injury Sunday afternoon that will require surgery.

“Alec is going to require surgery, and I don’t know the extent of it right now,” coach Jeff Fisher said. “The doctors still have some discussions, and we still have to do MRIs and things like that. There’s potential right now for [him to go on injured reserve with the] designation for return, but we’ll have to see.”

Ogletree suffered the injury with 5:44 to go in the third quarter of the Rams’ 24-22 win over the Arizona Cardinals after safety T.J. McDonald accidentally rolled into the back of his leg while trying to tackle Cardinals running back Chris Johnson. Ogletree immediately grabbed at his ankle and was taken off the field on a cart.

Alec Ogletree
Rams linebacker Alec Ogletree suffered an ankle injury that will require surgery in the third quarter of the Rams’ 24-22 win over the Cardinals after safety T.J. McDonald accidentally rolled into the back of his leg.

If the Rams decide to make Ogletree their designated-for-return player, he could return to games eight weeks after they put him on that list. If they believe he won’t be able to return, they could opt to put him on regular injured reserve, ending his season.

Either way, Ogletree’s loss is a big blow for the Rams’ defense. He had 10 tackles, including two for loss, Sunday before the injury, and was the team’s leading tackler through the first three games with 32, along with two sacks.

Ogletree led the Rams in tackles each of the past two seasons.

“It sucks. He was on a tear,” linebacker James Laurinaitis said. “He was on as good of a three-game start that I’ve seen. He was just all over the place on the field, really playing smart. You really saw his raw talent kind of come into form.

“It’s going to hurt.”

Daren Bates replaced Ogletree and finished with two tackles. Some combination of Bates, Akeem Ayers and Mark Barron will handle Ogletree’s snaps moving forward.