Rams' Avery can't outrun the rookie wall

ST. LOUIS -- Everything was easy at first for St. Louis Rams wide receiver Donnie Avery. Then he hit the rookie wall.

The last three games, the second-round pick with the 4.24 burner speed has totaled three catches for a pedestrian 32 yards. Two weeks ago he had zero catches against the Dolphins; his lone contribution was a rush attempt for 2 yards.

It's a far cry from his scintillating start. His coach said this type of season is typical for a first-year player, especially at wide receiver.

"There's not too many that make that immediate impact," Rams coach Jim Haslett said. "I think it does take some time."

Avery scored his first career touchdown on a 37-yard sprint in Game 4 against the Buffalo Bills. He had four receptions with an 18.3-yard average the next week at Washington, then peaked in Game 7 against the Patriots with six catches for 163 yards and a 69-yard score. The yardage is third-highest by a rookie in franchise history.

Soon after that the mental fatigue arrived. Counting the preseason, the NFL has a 20-game season, and Haslett said there's an adjustment period for all rookies.

Especially one prepared to make his 10th start Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks. What shaped up as a special year early for Avery, who has 38 catches, a 13.9-yard average and two touchdowns with a third touchdown rushing, has become merely solid.

"I think they're kind of past it now, but yeah, I sensed that," Haslett said. "I thought Donnie kind of ran into it. He had a couple good games and then you could see he was tired, starting to wear out. But you see him coming back again."

Haslett said Avery also has yet to master the nuances of the playbook, missing a hot read and making other assignment mistakes in last week's 34-10 loss at Arizona.

"When you're playing with young guys and you've got a volume that we have on offense, there's going to be some mistakes," Haslett said. "You'd think he'd be over it now, but obviously not."

Compounding the mental challenge, Avery has played all season with a stress fracture in his hip sustained in training camp, an injury that's bothered him more lately. An MRI last week revealed there's still a crack, and he doesn't expect it to heal until after the season.

"It's just a pain issue," Avery said. "I've just got to take those pain pills and go with the flow."

He acknowledges the bigger challenge was clearing the mental hurdle that he said hit him in Week 10. Veteran wide receivers Torry Holt and Dane Looker helped with advice, but it still took a few weeks.

"You've been through college four years and then at the same time every year your body shuts down because that's the end of the season," Avery said. "It's about your teammates rallying you and trying to get you focused and back in the right state of mind."

"Dane was one of those guys and Torry was one of those guys that told me, 'OK, you're going to hit that rookie wall. But you've got to stay mentally strong and physically strong.'"

Noteworthy

• Offensive guard Richie Incognito and cornerback Fakhir Brown, who both have missed time with ankle injuries, practiced for the first time this week and are expected to play Sunday. Linebacker Gary Stills, who leads the team with 15 special teams tackles, was held out with bone chips in his left knee, but he also expects to play.
• Kicker Josh Brown, who injured his groin last week in practice, was feeling well enough that he lobbied to try a few field goal attempts in practice. But Haslett decided to stick with a timetable calling for Brown to test the injury today.