Nick’s Notes: August 21, 2008

-         Greetings from a much more jubilant Russell Training Center, where a collective sigh of relief was let out when running back Steven Jackson arrived and signed a six-year contract Thursday morning.

-         Jackson’s new contract will pay him about $44 million with more than $20 million guaranteed and lands him among the top five running backs in the league in terms of compensation. If Jackson reaches certain incentives, the deal voids in the final two years. In that case, it would be worth a little less than $30 million over the four years of the deal.

-         Jackson was on the practice field Thursday and participated in a limited capacity. He will not play Saturday against Baltimore and isn’t likely to play against Kansas City in the finale.

-         The Rams are planning to find ways to find some extra work for Jackson to ensure he’s in football shape for the season opener on Sept. 7.

-         Jackson did some individual work and not much in team drills during the practice.

-         Believe it or not, there was more going on during Thursday’s practice than Jackson’s return.

-         To make room for Jackson on the roster, the Rams had to roll the dice a little bit. They placed guard Mark Setterstrom on the waived/injured list. According to league rules, players who are not vested veterans must clear waivers at this point in the season before they can be placed on injured reserve. The Rams are hedging their bets that two serious knee injuries in less than a year will allow Setterstrom to clear waivers and eventually land on the injured reserve list while he rehabilitates from his fractured patella.

-         Left tackle Orlando Pace returned to the practice field after missing the rest of the week because of soreness in his shoulder. However, the soreness doesn’t come from any worries about the repaired shoulder. It actually comes from a failed tackle attempt on Antoine Cason’s interception in last week’s game against the Chargers. The Rams did no hitting in the practice and Pace is still questionable for Saturday’s game against Baltimore. It remains to be seen whether Pace will play against the Ravens but the chances appear better than they did 24 hours ago.

-         Pace says he is close to being over the hump in terms of any mental block he might have as it pertains to using his shoulder freely. Pace played almost 40 plays against the Chargers and held up well aside from one sack. The Rams would like to get one more look at Pace before the regular season opens though it’s unlikely he would play in the Kansas City game if he doesn’t play this weekend.

-         Tight end Anthony Becht's status is uncertain for this weekend. He practiced most of this week but was limited some Thursday.

-         That’s all for today, be sure to check out our story on Jackson later this afternoon.