For the better part of the past two seasons, offensive tackle Renardo Foster’s NFL career has consisted mostly of practicing during the week and then arriving at NFL stadiums on Sundays only to spend the day on the sidelines in street clothes as a pregame inactive or as a member of the practice squad.

Or, worse yet, spending much of his time in a training room working on rehabilitating an injury.

So it’s not a surprise that the past two weeks represent the most enjoyment he’s taken from football in a long time.

“It’s real fun,” Foster said. “I was thinking about that today. The last time I really had any action was ’07 when I tore my ACL in Atlanta. It’s been a while so those two years were pretty tough. I think I somewhat got over the hump. It’s fun being out there now.”

Foster’s journey back on to the field has been a bit of a long and winding road. After going undrafted in the 2007 NFL Draft, Foster signed as a free agent out of Louisville. He earned a roster spot as a rookie and played in seven games with two starts.

That promising start was derailed by a torn ACL in his left knee, abruptly ending his rookie season. Foster spent the 2008 season on Atlanta’s physically unable to perform list and came to the Rams for training camp in 2009 before he was released prior to the regular season.

Foster went to New Orleans, where he spent 11 weeks of last season on the Saints practice squad but came back to the Rams during the offseason. A solid camp finally earned Foster another job and he’s managed to work his way into the team’s third tackle role.

That’s a job Foster feels comfortable with because he has no problems playing either side of the line.

“I’ve played right and left tackle and I’m used to it so that’s something that is expected of me,” Foster said. “If any tackle goes down, I have to go in no matter what the situation.”

In getting back on the field the past two weeks, Foster has experienced two different situations. Against Carolina on Oct. 31, he knew well before game time he’d be making the start after starting right tackle Jason Smith suffered a concussion in practice during the week.

Then, last week against San Francisco, left tackle Rodger Saffold suffered an ankle injury and Foster had to come in mid-game. That task is infinitely more difficult than the other.
“That is tougher,” Foster said. “The first week I knew I was starting. Then last week against San Fran when Rodger went down, coming off the sideline cold coming in there is real tough. But for the most part I think I did a decent job.”

Aside from a couple of hiccups here and there, Foster has done a good job by all accounts. Because of his size, he’s known as a bit of a mauler in the run game but he’s also held up better in pass protection than perhaps was expected.

“He’s done a pretty admirable job,” coach Steve Spagnuolo said. “It’s not easy when you don’t get the reps all week and then all the sudden you’re forced into playing in the middle of the game, but I think he’s done a nice job. (Offensive Line Coach) Steve Loney has done a good job with him and Renardo is always ready to go.”

GETTING HIS KICKS: Rams punter Donnie Jones has been one of the league’s most consistent performers since he arrived in St. Louis a few years ago.

Jones still has been denied the opportunity to go to the Pro Bowl despite some astounding performances. Along the way, he’s proved versatile in his kicking, able to boom it when needed, kick directionally when asked and even manage to do both at the same time when the situation calls for it.

Last week against San Francisco, Jones repeatedly booted high, booming punts that left San Francisco frustrated because they were unreturnable.

All told, Jones 10 punts for an average of 43.7 yards per attempt. But the Niners didn’t even attempt a return and three of those kicks were downed inside the 20.

Once again, Jones is proving to be a major asset to the Rams in swinging field position.

“I look at that as a real good defensive weapon right there,” Spagnuolo said. “When you can keep from the returner actually getting the ball and returning, that’s overlooked. Of course, we didn’t win the football game so some of those things go unnoticed, but our defense certainly appreciated him doing that.”

HAIRY SITUATION: In keeping up with tradition, many Rams are currently participating in “No Shave November,” a team initiative in which players are supposed to go as long as possible without shaving their faces.

Included in that group is rookie quarterback Sam Bradford.

“A couple of the guys are going along with the no-shave November and they asked me to be a part of it, so I feel like it’s something I need to do. I don’t know (why), to be honest,” Bradford said. “I know it makes life a lot easier. You don’t have to worry about shaving, so it’s kind of nice.”

Aside from the humor involved in it, “No Shave November” is actually more of a nationwide initiative that has developed into a way to call attention to cancers that affect men, particularly prostate cancer.

The idea is that men will begin the month clean shaven and then go the entire month without shaving their mustaches. It’s also called “Movember” and it raised about $42 million worldwide last year for cancer research according to Movember.com.

INJURY REPORT: The Rams again continue to make strides toward being as healthy now as they have been all season.

On Thursday, nearly the entire roster, save for defensive tackle Fred Robbins, punter Donnie Jones (calf) and receiver Danario Alexander (knee) participated fully in practice.

Tackle Rodger Saffold (ankle),linebacker/fullback Brit Miller (concussion symptoms) and safety James Butler (ankle) were limited on Wednesday but upgraded to full participation on Thursday.

The Rams are optimistic that all three will be available on Sunday.

As for Robbins, he has an upper back injury.

“He pulled something yesterday and it was a little bit sore this morning,” Spagnuolo said. “He got limited reps.”