media guys set up the Vikes game

Roster spots will be on the line as Los Angeles Rams take on Minnesota Vikings in exhibition finale Thursday night

Gary Klein

http://www.latimes.com/sports/rams/la-sp-rams-vikings-20160831-snap-story.html

Ian Seau knows the numbers. He can do the math.

After a first round of cuts, 75 players remain on the Rams’ roster. By Saturday, that number must be trimmed to 53.

Seau is one of 11 defensive linemen in a group that probably will be whittled to nine or possibly 10.

Seau and other players on the bubble will make their final push for roster or practice-squad spots Thursday night when the Rams play the Minnesota Vikings in their exhibition finale at U.S. Bank Stadium.

“This is my last opportunity to showcase and put something on my resume,” Seau said. “Hopefully, I’ll put some good stuff on tape so either the Rams or another team will take a chance on me.”

With the season opener against the San Francisco 49ers less than two weeks away, most Rams starters are expected to be held out to avoid injury.

This, for example, could be the first time that quarterback Case Keenum does not participate in an exhibition finale. In his previous four seasons with the Houston Texans and the Rams, Keenum was fighting for a spot.

Now, as the presumed starter, he could be tethered to the sideline as Jared Goff and Sean Mannion take snaps.

“If I don’t play, they’re going to have to hold me back,” Keenum said, laughing.

While veterans relax on the sideline, players trying to avoid the cut will try one last time to impress Coach Jeff Fisher and his staff.

“There are some decisions that are going to be made based on some performances” against the Vikings, Fisher said. “In addition to that, you’ve got some guys that we’re grooming to play in specific special teams positions when the regular season starts, so they need to get experience at those positions.”

Undrafted free agents are not the only players with something to prove.

Veteran receiver Brian Quick struggled with drops in the first two exhibitions and was called out by Fisher. The fifth-year pro responded with three catches last week against the Denver Broncos.

Receiver Michael Thomas and tight end Temarrick Hemingway, both sixth-round draft choices, also have dropped a number of passes.

Seau, who played at Nevada, had a sack in the first exhibition against the Dallas Cowboys and a tackle against the Kansas City Chiefs. He did not make a tackle at Denver.

The Rams cut two defensive linemen this week — veteran free agent Quinton Coples and undrafted free agent Zach Colvin — leaving the 6-foot-2, 250-pound Seau on the bubble.

Injuries and needs at other position groups also could affect the configuration of the defensive line after Thursday night.

The Rams feature veteran ends Robert Quinn, William Hayes and Eugene Sims, and they had signed Coples in March. So Seau realized what he was getting into when he signed with the Rams after the draft.

“I knew it was going to be tough to make the team, and there’s a still a chance, maybe, who knows?” he said. “It’s a business, and you see people come in and out every single day so you just have to look forward to going out there.”

Receiver Paul McRoberts also is fighting for a spot in a position group that includes fellow undrafted free agents Nelson Spruce, Duke Williams and Austin Hill, who was signed after training camp opened.

Spruce caught a team-best six passes against the Cowboys, one for a touchdown. He also suffered a knee injury, however, and was sidelined for the next two exhibitions and is expected to be held out again Thursday.

McRoberts has been targeted seven times and has five catches. His best opportunity to impress against the Vikings might be as a punt returner. McRoberts said he did not return kicks until his final two games at Southeast Missouri State. He gained more attention at the Senior Bowl, where he caught four passes and returned a punt after a week of workouts in front of NFL scouts.

Against the Broncos, he returned three punts for 11 yards.

“It would be crazy to actually take one to the house,” he said of his opportunity against the Vikings.

McRoberts, like Seau, knows the numbers. Tavon Austin returns punts. So does fourth-round draft pick Pharoh Cooper, who is sidelined because of a shoulder injury.

McRoberts is undeterred and said he would not overthink his situation.

“It’s a big opportunity to go make something happen and really show them why they should keep me,” he said. “It’s kind of in your control, but I don’t have any control over it as well.”

Seau and McRoberts said they would hold nothing back against the Vikings. Their goal, of course, is to make the roster or practice squad.

But there is other motivation.

“Just to show all the guys on this team that I can play and get some of their respect,” Seau said. “So if you do leave they’re like, ‘Aw man, we let a good one go.’”