PRO FOOTBALL / DAILY REPORT : RAMS : At 39, Slater Is a Marvel to Knox

News flash: Jackie Slater yields to pressure, agrees to take time off.

Slater, who begins his 18th season with the Rams, has been in two-a-day drills without a break for the past two weeks. Wednesday, however, Coach Chuck Knox ordered him to take a rest.

“I got to trust the way he’s going to manage me,” said Slater, 39. “It just feels different standing around and doing nothing. Your back starts to stiffen.”

According to the NFL, Slater is projected to be the oldest starter in the league this season. “I marvel at the way he takes care of his body,” Knox said. “We initially thought about him just practicing once a day, and he wouldn’t have any part of it.”

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Running back Tim Lester injured his knee and was held out of the afternoon practice. . . . Knox said he continues to look upon Todd Kinchen, recovering from a knee injury, and Jeff Chadwick, recovering from a hamstring injury, as the team’s Nos. 3 and 4 receivers.