"I thought the energy was good," Haslett said of the first work the team has done since last Wednesday. "I thought the tempo on offense was excellent and I thought that the defense played fast, it was limited reps, but again they moved around well, they were into it. I think that's all you can ask. I liked the tempo of the offense today."

Unfortunately, the Rams' next three games are against Washington, Dallas and New England, teams that have a current combined record of 11-3. They will also have to play without tight end Randy McMichael, who was placed on injured reserve and replaced on the roster by Daniel Fells.

McMichael suffered a broken tibia in the Rams' Week 4 game against Buffalo, an injury that normally would sideline a player for about six weeks. However, McMichael also suffered torn ligaments at the top of the bone, adding to the recovery time.

McMichael sought a second opinion from Dr. James Andrews, who indicated it might be possible to return in 10 weeks. However, that timeframe would project to around Dec. 7, when there would be just three weeks remaining in the season. Without being able to run during the rehabilitation, it would also be difficult for McMichael to get in game shape.

"He was upset," Haslett said, "but I can't do that to the kid. To bring him back and risk further injury and potentially affect his career wouldn't make sense at that stage of the season."

Fells, who is 6-4 and 252 pounds, originally signed with Atlanta as an undrafted free agent in 2006. He was on the Falcons' roster for the entire season but was inactive for all 16 games. Released in the final cutdown in 2007, he spent the entire season on the Raiders' practice squad.

This past summer, he went to training camp with the Buccaneers, who signed him to their practice squad after he was released in the final cut. The Rams signed him off Tampa Bay's practice squad, and the Bucs were paying him significantly more than the practice-squad salary of $4,700 a week to keep him around.

Said Haslett, "He's a big body, a guy that can play fullback, can play tight end, he's got good hands, runs pretty good routes. We talked to the Tampa Bay people after we signed him and they really liked him and they didn't want to lose him. They were actually paying him the full amount of money to try and keep him, but obviously having an opportunity to get a credited season and get on the field kind of swayed him here a little bit."

With McMichael out, Joe Klopfenstein will be the starter. Whether the offense can create some progress could largely depend on how well he plays.

"He needs to step up and play," Haslett said. "He has all the ability in the world. Guy comes in his first year starts 16 games, plays well, good blocker and the guy can run and catch and it's an opportunity, he needs to step up and take advantage of it. And I don't see why he won't. The guy's got a lot of ability. He just has to grab the bull by the horns."

Asked if tight end Anthony Becht will have an expanded role, Haslett said, "We're down to really two guys who know what's going on. Anthony is one of the better blockers in the league. I think he's the kind of guy who can go in there and change the game just because you want to give the ball to Steven (Jackson) and he's in there and the guy is as big as a tackle. He's one of those guys who can really step in there and rout them out if he wants."