NOTES, QUOTES
NFL Team Report - Los Angeles Rams
--Cornerback Aqib Talib, who has missed the last eight games while recovering from ankle surgery, returned to practice this week after being designated to return from the reserve/injured list and could be in the lineup on Sunday when the Rams play the Lions. By rule, the Rams have 21 days to decide whether to activate him to the active roster but they hope to get him on the field sooner rather than later. "I'm gonna just practice," Talib said. "Everything else is going to be on the training staff and the coaches. I'm gonna just practice. I'll guess they're going to do the eye test or whatever to see if I'm gonna go Sunday or not. But I'm gonna just practice." Said Rams head coach Sean McVay: "A lot of that's predicated on when he gets checked out with the doctors - does everything give the thumbs up? I know he's feeling good and he's really pushed it - had some really good workouts with (trainer) Reggie (Scott). But a lot of it too, especially when you're talking about a player of his caliber, but also his experience - you value his feedback that he's giving you. As far as if he's ready to go, those are things that as the week progresses, we'll figure that out, but that'll be a collaboration of, from the doctors hearing and seeing how Aqib does." --Outside linebacker Samson Ebukam put together a breakout game against the Kansas City Chiefs while coming up with two touchdowns, including a pick-six interception return. The Rams have been waiting on the second-year linebacker from Eastern Washington to put it together, and if his performance against the Chiefs is any indication of what's to come, the timing could not be better. Ebukam was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts. "With Samson, it was exciting to see. I mean, you're talking about a guy that just made great plays when he had the opportunity to," Rams head coach Sean McVay said. "Really happy for him to earn a Defensive Player of the Week award. "He's a guy that if you watch him, he's really just consistently gotten better, extremely coachable, extremely conscientious. I can remember even going back to last year with what a great job (former linebacker) Connor Barwin did, putting his arm around him and that mentorship. Now, watching Samson transition where he's more comfortable. Truly a starting player that has the opportunity to make a lot of impact on both, some of our base downs and situations, and then also in some of the nickel pass rush." BY THE NUMBERS: 51.7 -- P Johnny Hekker has pinned Rams' opponents inside their own 20-yard line on 51.7 percent of his punts this season - the second-best percentage among all punters with at least 25 punts.
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