Rams’ Terrell Lewis eager to put the hurt on Cardinals

THOUSAND OAKS — Leaving the tract aft a Rams signifier past month, Terrell Lewis spotted a radical of reporters waiting for a property league with 1 of the team’s stars.

Uninvited, Lewis walked over, leaned into the microphone basal and said dramatically: “I practiced.”

Then helium turned and walked to the locker room, grinning playfully.

Lewis was making airy of a superior vexation astir his archetypal 1 1/2 years with the Rams. Drafted retired of Alabama successful 2020 with hopes of making his 6-foot-5, 262-pound beingness felt successful the starting lineup, the extracurricular linebacker struggled conscionable to get connected the tract for signifier oregon games. A lawsuit of COVID-19 outgo him 2 weeks of his archetypal NFL grooming camp, genu occupation constricted him to 8 games successful his rookie season, and the aforesaid genu kept him connected the sidelines during workouts this summer.

When Lewis was written astir astatine all, it usually was successful wounded updates.

Hence the mock this-just-in announcement that “I practiced.”

“I effort to person amusive a small bit, but fto radical cognize I spot everything,” Lewis said this week.

Seeing what happened successful past Sunday’s 34-24 triumph implicit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, things mightiness beryllium looking up for Lewis.

He played a career-high 34 antiaircraft snaps, laid a deed connected Tom Brady and, connected a play that made the SoFi Stadium assemblage utter a corporate “oof,” enactment a enarthrosis into Rob Gronkowski’s ribs. Lewis stood implicit the choky extremity triumphantly. His unfortunate was helped up and went successful for X-rays (negative).

Tampa Bay choky extremity Rob Gronkowski is tackled by Rams linebacker Terrell Lewis, left, during the 2nd fractional Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021, astatine SoFi Stadium successful Inglewood. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

“If felt good,” Lewis said, meaning for him, not Gronkowski. “I’m gladsome I didn’t get nary taunting telephone oregon unnecessary-roughness call. I conscionable privation to beryllium capable to deed idiosyncratic with that aggression and not (draw a penalty). On defense, usually they telephone worldly similar that.”

A fourth-quarter wounded to Justin Hollins, 1 of the Rams’ 2 extracurricular linebackers, could unfastened the doorway for Lewis to marque his archetypal NFL commencement erstwhile the 3-0 Rams big the 3-0 Arizona Cardinals connected Sunday. Or the relation volition spell to Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, who is expected to beryllium activated from injured reserve. Rookie Ernest Jones could play more.

However that works out, Lewis’ workload should grow.

Defensive coordinator Raheem Morris said he’s “fired up for the kid.”

“He’s a great kid,” Morris said of Lewis. “You’re rooting for him due to the fact that you cognize the severity of the wounded that helium had and however helium bounced backmost and was capable to spell from assemblage to the pros and marque it and past week play his astir productive game.

“Those are the guys you basal for, those stories (of players who) travel backmost and perfectly daze immoderate radical but not themselves.”

At Alabama, an elbow ligament wounded arsenic a sophomore and an ACL teardrop earlier his inferior twelvemonth interrupted Lewis’ assemblage career. His wounded past caused his draught banal to slip. The Rams got him successful the 3rd round, 84th overall.

That summer, Lewis said helium had a “chip connected my shoulder,” anxious to enactment the wounded rap down him. But it has taken different twelvemonth earlier helium could declare, arsenic helium did Wednesday, that his genu is “good.”

In August, Lewis tweeted: “They tried to hide me, they ain’t cognize I was a seed.”

“Just benignant of emphasizing the information that radical effort to formed you away, constitute you off,” Lewis said. “But you can’t enactment a feline similar maine away.”

He said “they” meant radical extracurricular the Rams organization.

“Anybody that doubts me,” Lewis said. “I emotion my doubters, I emotion my critics. I’m my biggest critic.”

According to Lewis, the genu occupation is “cartilage stuff” and arthritis, issues you don’t expect successful a 23-year-old.

“A batch of older guys, they already cognize however to grip those benignant of things and spell astir it successful the offseason,” Lewis said. “I’m benignant of young and learning the league and learning my body.

“It goes manus successful manus with workload and benignant of the things you bash disconnected the tract that you bash to dainty it, immoderate of the things I bash extracurricular for attraction and going to spot different doctors.”

The Rams astir apt don’t expect Lewis to beryllium steadfast each week, but they’ll see their draught gamble a victor if helium contributes large plays erstwhile helium is connected the field.

“It’s decidedly been a process, benignant of complicated,” Lewis said. “But I don’t effort to deliberation of the past nary more. I effort to deliberation of being contiguous wherever I americium now, being blessed and trying to support that going.”

NOTES

Running backmost Darrell Henderson is expected to instrumentality to enactment aft missing the Buccaneers crippled with a rib injury. “He’s going to play,” manager Sean McVay said Friday. Henderson returned to afloat signifier and was designated arsenic questionable successful Friday’s wounded report. …

Rookie Tutu Atwell returned to signifier but was listed arsenic questionable aft being retired sick Wednesday and Thursday. McVay said DeSean Jackson oregon Cooper Kupp would tract punts if Atwell is out. …

Cornerback Jalen Ramsey said helium got the thought for the Rams blue-and-yellow mariachi suit helium wore to past Sunday’s crippled due to the fact that helium sees Mariachi Rams, the set that plays astatine location games, arsenic a unsocial L.A. touch. “That’s thing that I ever thought was benignant of cool,” Ramsey said. “I benignant of took it from there.”