PRO FOOTBALL / DAILY REPORT : RAMS : Gilbert’s Injury Doesn’t Seem Serious

Although the Rams suffered a slew of injuries in Sunday’s loss to the Minnesota Vikings, Coach Chuck Knox said that it does not appear that any of them, including an ankle injury to No. 1 pick Sean Gilbert, are serious.

Gilbert sprained his right ankle in the second quarter and did not return to the game. He sprained his left ankle during training camp and missed the first two exhibitions.

“Looks like his ankle’s going to be OK,” Knox said. “He could practice, could run on it probably as early as Wednesday.”

Knox said middle linebacker Larry Kelm and cornerback Sammy Lilly, who suffered sprained left knees, avoided major damage.

The injury to tailback Cleveland Gary’s right ankle lingers.

“It concerns me,” Knox said. “It’s tough when you practice once with pads on in two weeks. He worked Thursday and he said the thing was all right.

“And then he’s in the game and it’s not all right. Plus you haven’t gotten the repetitions in practice, so if something happens in the game, sometimes you don’t make the right run decision.”

Though the Rams (4-8) are out of the playoff picture and facing the struggling Tampa Bay Buccaneers this weekend in Tampa, Knox said he expects his players to continue pressing forward.

“There’s still a lot of the season to be played,” Knox said. “We’ve still got games to play. (The Buccaneers aren’t) a bad football team.

“It’s a game we’re going to play for pride and everything else. The motivation to play, begins, No. 1, with the pride you have in yourself.

“The second thing is that if you want to play in the National Football League, it’s an investment in your future to always play as hard as you can play because the tapes are going to be around the league, whatever happens.”