By Nick Wagoner
Senior Writer

In the aftermath of Sunday’s game against Indianapolis, it was already pretty certain that the Rams were going to lose one of their most reliable veterans for the season. On Monday, they also learned that they were going to be without a burgeoning rookie for the rest of the year.

Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo confirmed the expected Monday afternoon, declaring long snapper Chris Massey out for the year with an anterior cruciate ligament injury. That much was expected when Massey was carted off the field in the second quarter of Sunday’s game.

What wasn’t clear was the extent of cornerback Bradley Fletcher’s injury after he landed awkwardly on his knee in the middle of the fourth quarter. What was initially termed a hyperextended knee pending a Monday morning MRI turned out to be much worse.

Fletcher suffered a torn ACL much like Massey but also suffered a tear of his lateral meniscus. And, like Massey, Fletcher’s 2009 season is over before it even hit the halfway point.

“It’s a pretty severe knee injury,” Spagnuolo said. “He will have surgery, probably tomorrow. Bradley will have to fight through that.”

For a young team hoping to develop some talented building blocks, the loss of Fletcher couldn’t come at a worse time.

Fletcher had come on strong in recent weeks, quietly working his way into the starting lineup with strong work in practice and the type of extra effort that Spagnuolo likes to see.

After getting his first start against Minnesota on Oct. 11, Fletcher had slowly but surely started to get more comfortable in his spot and was starting to pick up on some of the nuances of his position.

Before Sunday’s game, Fletcher had shown a knack for sticking his nose in on the running game, making 23 tackles including 17 solos.

And though he had gone through some growing pains with a penalty or two along the way, Fletcher appeared poised for put together a strong second half of the season and stake his claim to the job on a more permanent basis.

In fact, Fletcher was enjoying the best game in his short tenure as a professional Sunday when he suffered the injury. Time and again, Colts quarterback Peyton Manning tested Fletcher, who was regularly matched up against receiver Pierre Garcon.

Time and again, Fletcher was up to the challenge, showing an improved ability to get his head turned on deep balls and finding a way to get his hands in the way.  Against the Colts, Fletcher had seven tackles and two passes defended.

“I thought he played outstanding yesterday,” Spagnuolo said. “And really what was really encouraging was the play he got hurt on, we all go back to some of the earlier games – I can’t tell you how hard that young man worked at getting where he is. I stepped in 15-20 minutes after practice last week and Bradley Fletcher was working on exactly what happened in the game where in prior weeks he never had turned and looked for the ball and got a penalty. He plays it perfect and gets the ball out.”

Fletcher suffered the injury with 6:43 left in the game. Manning floated a deep pass down the right sideline intended for Garcon. Fletcher was stride for stride with Garcon and turned and broke up the pass.

As he turned, Fletcher got his feet tangled with Garcon and as he attempted to plant his foot to slow down but his foot came down funny and appeared to stick in the turf as Fletcher fell to the ground. He left the stadium on crutches.

The nature of Fletcher’s injuries will require multiple surgeries, one in the next day or two and another in about a month. Spagnuolo said the pair of surgeries would lead to a lengthy recovery for Fletcher, one that could keep him out even for the beginning of the 2010 season.

“That would probably be a fair statement,” Spagnuolo said. “It’s a long (recovery).”

In the meantime, the Rams will turn to a group including Jonathan Wade, Quincy Butler and Justin King to replace Fletcher. Wade started the beginning of the season and has the most experience of the trio.

Spagnuolo said King will return this week at Detroit after a groin injury kept him out against the Colts.

As for the roster spot that will open up with the move of Fletcher to injured reserve, Spagnuolo said the Rams will look at all options, not just corners in the search for a replacement.

“We’ll have to do that,” Spagnuolo said. “I’m not sure where it will be and what will happen. We are still working are way through that. I don’t want to commit to that position right now but somebody will be added.”

Massey’s injury is a little more conventional than Fletcher’s but no less painful or costly to the Rams. In his eighth season with the Rams, Massey has been the death and taxes of the team.

When Billy Bajema replaced Massey after he suffered the knee injury with 5:53 left in the second quarter, it was the first time someone else had snapped a ball for the Rams in a game since he got to St. Louis in 2002.

Massey will have a two to three week “pre-hab” before he goes in for his surgery.

Massey’s consistency has placed him among the best long snappers in the game since he entered the league. Before the injury, Massey had made a clean snap on all 50 of his attempts this season and 362 consecutive clean snaps. For his career, he’s had only one miscue in 891 attempts.

The Rams brought in some possible alternatives for a look Monday afternoon and will make a decision shortly.

“That spot will be a long snapper, a one for one deal,” Spagnuolo said.

Elsewhere on the injury front, the Rams will be without guard Richie Incognito for two to three weeks as he recovers from a lower Lisfranc injury in his foot.

With Incognito out of the lineup, Spagnuolo said Adam Goldberg would step in at right guard, leaving tackle duties to Jason Smith and Alex Barron.

Defensive end C.J. Ah You suffered an ankle injury that forced him to have an MRI on Monday, the results of which are not yet available.

King, defensive end Leonard Little (neck stinger), end James Hall (groin) and receiver Donnie Avery (ribs, hip) are fine and expected to be ready to go this week.