PRO FOOTBALL / DAILY REPORT : RAMS : Young Not Yet Ready for Full Contact

Defensive end Robert Young, who has missed the last two games because of a knee injury, said Thursday he’s not ready to start or play a major role in Sunday’s game with the 49ers.

Young, who has seven sacks, returned to practice this week and appeared to be working with the starting defensive unit. But Young said the decision on how much he plays will be his.

“The leg is not ready for all that contact yet,” Young said. “I can go out and practice, but that’s practice. The game is much faster and much more physical. You can’t be in the game trying to protect the leg.

“It’s up to me. There’s no call to go unless I say go. It’s not their body.”

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Wide receiver Flipper Anderson missed practice for the second consecutive day and said he has been advised by team physicians that he might have damaged a nerve near his ribs.

“I couldn’t even do (light jogging),” Anderson said. “I’m going to think positive. I think I’m going to be able to play, but I’m going to get some medicine to get the inflammation out.”

If Anderson is unable to start, Todd Kinchen will replace him.

Todd Lyght, the starting left cornerback, also missed practice because of a sore Achilles’. Lyght said he intends to play Sunday.

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Because of Wednesday’s fires, television stations were unable to send camera crews to Rams Park to document the change from Jim Everett to T.J. Rubley.

On Thursday many of those camera crews showed up and Coach Chuck Knox was obviously irritated.

“Well, I explained all that yesterday, but I will go over it again,” he said.

Knox was asked if he sees Rubley as a long-term solution for the Rams.

“I’m not going to be talking about long-term solutions,” Knox said. “We’re talking about going to play the 49ers, that’s what we need to focus on and talk about.”