It's Steussie to the rescue for Rams' banged-up line

~ Alex Barron is the only player to start every game on St. Louis' line.

ST. LOUIS -- Todd Steussie has been in the NFL long enough that his kids and St. Louis Rams coach Scott Linehan's kids go to the same grade school.

But the offensive lineman seems pretty spry, especially for a player about to play his first game of the season and due to turn 37 on Dec. 1. Steussie missed the first 10 games recovering from a broken foot sustained in the preseason finale, re-signed with the Rams on Tuesday to fill a void on a banged-up line, impressed in practice Wednesday and figures to start Sunday against the Seahawks.

"He's a big body, has some veteran leadership and he's been around," quarterback Marc Bulger said. "Anyone else coming back from 10 weeks off, I'd be a little bit iffy.

"But he's been playing long enough that he might be a little rusty, but he can step right in."

The Rams (2-8) have been decimated on the offensive line, with three starters on injured reserve and a fourth, center Brett Romberg, out the last three games with a high right ankle sprain. The only player to start every game, tackle Alex Barron, has a sore neck and did not practice Wednesday.

The franchise always intended to re-sign Steussie to add depth, but had to wait until this week because they released him with an injury settlement in early September.

Now, they really need him. Bulger has taken a beating much of the year and absorbed six sacks in last week's 13-9 victory at San Francisco playing behind a group mostly comprised of castoffs.

In the morning offensive meeting, Linehan joked he had to introduce Steussie to all of his new teammates.

"This is my 14th year and I've never seen even 50 percent of the number of injuries we've had on this line," Steussie said. "I had to introduce myself to four new guys today, I'd never met them."

Steussie did most of his work at right guard Wednesday, supplanting undersized Nick Leckey. The 6-foot-6, 310-pound Steussie, a two-time Pro Bowler earlier in his career, lost none of his ripped physique during the layoff.

Now he's one of the boys again. Romberg could hear and even smell that Steussie was back early in practice when players were overcome by a massive release of methane gas. Apparently, that's another of Steussie's trademarks along with longevity.

"Juicy Steussie? He let his presence be known," Romberg said. "He lost about 32 pounds of water halfway through practice. He was sweating all over the place, but he's definitely back and it didn't look like he missed a beat."

Steussie spent a few weeks on crutches after the injury, but by Week 5 was running full speed on a treadmill and did some boxing during his layoff. He also watched Rams games on TV, at least the ones that weren't blacked out locally, although he admitted to taping some of them that conflicted with his son's soccer schedule.

He maintains he's been ready to play for several weeks, and now he just needs to scrape off rust.

"The first time you get out there you've got a little more nervous energy, your heart rate is going a little bit higher than normal, and I was maybe a little more tired than I first thought I would be," Steussie said.

"It's going to be a challenge this week, but I've always looked forward to challenges."

Even though he was a free agent during his layoff, Steussie felt the Rams' pain during their 0-8 start.

"I've been living and dying with them," Steussie said. "This team showed me loyalty and I feel the same way."

Romberg was limited in practice Wednesday, but expects to be back in the lineup this week. He said he overdid it a week ago, taking all the repetitions at center, and reinjured the ankle.

"But it's a totally different feeling this week," Romberg said. "When it does hurt, it only hurts for a few seconds, the pain goes away pretty rapidly."