PRO FOOTBALL DAILY REPORT : RAMS : Lang Will Have Surgery Today

Running back David Lang, the Rams’ top candidate to start at fullback, will undergo arthroscopic surgery today after suffered a knee injury in Saturday morning’s practice.

“He was running down the field and nobody hit him or anything,” Coach Chuck Knox said. “He just felt a little pop there.”

An angry Lang tossed his helmet to the ground as trainers worked on his knee.

It is not known how long Lang will be sidelined.

Twelve of the 80 players under contract to the Rams were unable to practice Saturday because of injuries.

*

Linebacker Shane Conlan, who suffered a hyper-extended left knee Friday, was unable to practice Saturday. Conlan said it will probably be a week before the ligament in his knee doesn’t bother him, but that won’t necessarily keep him from practicing.

“It’s one of those things you’ve got to work through,” he said. “The only thing worse than practicing is not practicing. It’s so boring.”

*

Wide receiver Sean LaChapelle, the team’s fifth-round draft pick from UCLA, has been impressive in the first week of training camp, despite a long list of injuries.

LaChapelle strained a hamstring early on, then strained a groin muscle while trying to compensate for his hamstring problems.

He tore a ligament in his ring finger on his right hand and then cut the middle finger on the same hand.

“I was sore the first couple of days, but now my legs are starting to come back,” LaChapelle said. “It’s just been little nagging injuries.”

The injuries to his fingers have forced LaChapelle to try to guide the ball into his left hand. The injuries to his legs have given him the most trouble.

“I was struggling before, because I couldn’t do the things I wanted to do,” he said. “My legs were tired and I wasn’t able to come out of my breaks. Once I started to be able to do that, I had that much more advantage because I knew where I was going.”