Rams Turn to Kicking Relics After Blake Grupe's Disastrous Kickoff Tackle

The Los Angeles Rams are holding a kicker tryout that doubles as a millennial nostalgia tour. Following Blake Grupe's season-ending knee injury, Sean McVay is bringing in Brandon McManus and Matt Prater to see who still has enough cartilage left to save their special teams.

Grupe tore his ACL in the most violently unnecessary way possible for a specialist. The 27-year-old decided to lower his shoulder and try to tackle returner Devin Duvernay during Sunday's 18-16 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. That is a noble thought, but it is also how you end up on injured reserve for the rest of the year while your team scrambles for a replacement.

"Mike Garafolo reported the Rams are working out veteran kickers Brandon McManus and Matt Prater tomorrow."

To fill the void, the Rams are looking at two guys who have been kicking footballs since the iPhone 4 was a status symbol. According to Mike Garafolo, the team is working out Prater and McManus, who combine for over three decades of NFL experience.

Prater is 42 years old with 269 career games under his belt, having last kicked for the Buffalo Bills. McManus brings his own extensive resume, most recently stabilizing the Green Bay Packers before hitting the open market. Bringing in guys with this much mileage is the football equivalent of buying a used Honda Civic. It might not look flashy, but you just need it to start when you turn the key.

For anyone holding Rams futures or sweating a Sunday spread, this is the exact kind of mid-season chaos that swings games. You do not want your cover depending on a guy who was sitting on his couch on Tuesday, but that is exactly where Los Angeles finds itself after dropping two straight tight matchups.

We will see who survives the workout and actually signs a contract. Whoever gets the job has to immediately step into a high-pressure spot for a Rams team desperate to stop the bleeding and get back in the win column.