PRO FOOTBALL / DAILY REPORT : RAMS : Kinchen Looks Sharp in His Return

Wide receiver Todd Kinchen, who underwent reconstructive knee surgery late last season, caught a pass in an organized practice for the first time in eight months.

The Rams put Kinchen on the physically unable-to-perform list earlier this week, only to take him off Thursday. After passing a physical exam in the morning, Kinchen was on the practice field in the afternoon.

Why the rush? Kinchen will be hard-pressed to make the roster with rookies Isaac Bruce and Chris Brantley and veterans Flipper Anderson, Greg McMurtry, Jessie Hester and Nate Lewis in camp.

“Kinchen looked good,” Coach Chuck Knox said. “He has those fresh legs out there.”

Kinchen, who ran full-speed pass routes, said he is 85% fit. After making his first catch in practice, he pumped his fist at teammates standing on the sideline.

“All the defensive players were cheering for me,” said Kinchen, who caught eight passes for 137 yards and a touchdown last season. “It felt good to be back.”

*

Knox doesn’t seem to be a big fan of the new two-point conversion rule.

“The two-point conversion will give you people something to write about,” he said. “Let’s say it’s 7-6 with five seconds left and you kick it to tie and go into overtime. Then you lose the coin toss and the other team goes down the field and kicks a field goal. Everybody will say, ‘You should have gone for two.’ And if you go for two and miss it and lose, 7-6, then you should have kicked it.”

Nobody will go for two in a 7-6 situation, will they?

“Someone will say that you should have,” he said. “Hindsight is 20-20.”

*

Quarterback Chris Miller, who had sat out team passing drills because of a sore abdomen, returned to workouts. . . . Defensive end Robert Young (hip) missed practice and is listed day to day. Also held out were safety Anthony Newman (sore back), defensive tackle Marc Boutte (knee), defensive end Kevin Patrick (shoulder), wide receivers Sean LaChapelle (ankle) and Chris Brantley (hamstring) and cornerback Steve Israel (leg muscle).