OTAs start Tuesday

It’s time for Rams to get serious about football with final stage of OTAs set to begin.

RICH HAMMOND

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/rams-717653-otas-players.html

Welcome to the final stage of OTAs, which now transition from summer camp to training camp.

Sure, the Rams have been working in Oxnard since mid-April. There’s been weightlifting, running, drills and meetings on top of meetings. But now, as the major offseason work draws to a close, it’s time for the Rams to get serious about football.

Beginning Tuesday afternoon, the Rams will be on the field three times a week, for two hours a day, until late June. It’s not quite a practice – there’s no full-speed hitting and tackling – but it’s also not two-hand touch in the park.

Organized team activities, commonly known as OTAs, provide NFL players and coaches to get together in the summer and improve. Players can meet new teammates and coaches. Rookies mix with veterans for the first time. Updated playbooks are distributed. The sessions don’t necessarily translate to improvement in the fall, but they certainly don’t hurt.

The OTAs are particularly important for the Rams, because the presumption is that recent No. 1 overall draft pick Jared Goff will win the starting quarterback job in August. These sessions give Goff the chance to build chemistry with his new linemen and receivers.

The Rams have a different attitude about OTAs than some teams. The sessions are strictly optional for players, but teams have the right to hold one mandatory mini-camp for veterans in June. Rams coach Jeff Fisher has something of a wink-nod agreement with his veterans: show up for OTAs, and there won’t be a mandatory camp. So the Rams expect good attendance this week.

Don’t look for an influx of Rams at the airport this morning, though, because this is the culmination of weeks’ worth of OTAs, a phenomenon that has grown since the NFL was last in Southern California in 1994.

This is the third and final stage of OTAs. Players first convened in mid-April, mostly for conditioning work. In the second phase, players were allowed on the field, but offensive and defensive players were not allowed to do drills together. The team also held a three-day mini-camp for rookies, who were not allowed to work out with veterans.

The NFL is not casual about this stuff. This month, the Baltimore Ravens lost three of their allowed 10 OTA periods and received a fine. Why? Because they allowed players to wear pads during rookie minicamp, reportedly during a drill that lasted five minutes.

So the Rams won’t want to mess around, but they’ll be happy to get to work. Goff can work with Fisher and newly installed permanent offensive coordinator Rob Boras, and the Rams can run through mock-game scenarios. This is the last time players and coaches will be allowed to work together before the start of training camp in late July in Irvine.

It’s also a chance for players’ stock to rise or recede, and not just high-profile guys. Yes, all eyes will be on Goff, but given that teams can (and often do) make roster cuts and additions during the summer, performance in OTAs might make a difference between an NFL job and the Arena Football League.

The OTA sessions are not open to the public, and media members are not allowed to watch until Wednesday, but here are five players who have a lot to gain or lose during the next three weeks.

• Dominique Easley, DT: Easley was a first-round draft pick of New England in 2014 and a defensive-line starter at the beginning of last season, but he has been unable to stay healthy, a reputation he first earned in his college days at Florida.

The Patriots released Easley in April and the Rams signed him in May. It’s unlikely that Easley would supplant either Aaron Donald or Michael Brockers as a starting defensive tackle, but he certainly could play his way into the rotation.

• E.J. Gaines, CB: Gaines was set to be a starter for the Rams in 2015, but suffered a major foot injury in training camp and was lost for the season. Now the Rams need a replacement for Janoris Jenkins, who signed a big free-agent contract with the New York Giants.

Gaines should have the first chance to play opposite Trumaine Johnson, but the Rams also brought in free-agent cornerback Coty Sensabaugh.

• Lance Kendricks, TE: When the Rams released starting tight end Jared Cook in February, it opened an opportunity for Kendricks, who had played a supplemental role to Cook for the past three seasons. Things got more complicated in April, when the Rams used draft picks on tight ends Tyler Higbee and Temarrick Hemingway.

That’s not a very strong endorsement for Kendricks, a former second-round pick whose catch totals have dropped in each of the past three seasons. He needs to show the Rams he can handle a bigger role.

• Duke Williams, WR: Williams once described himself as a player with first-round talent but “my character is a seventh-round pick.” That’s a fair self-assessment for a talented receiver who went undrafted this year after he was kicked off Auburn’s team last season.

Williams, listed at 6-foot-2, 229 pounds, certainly would be a nice big target and possession receiver for Goff, but must prove that he can be a good citizen off the field.

• Greg Zuerlein, K: Once hailed as “Legatron,” Zuerlein struggled last season and fell out of favor with the Rams. They re-signed him this spring, but declared that he will face competition for his job.

Of particular concern is Zuerlein’s mid-range accuracy. Last season, he made only 5 of 8 attempts from 40-49 yards. In his first three seasons, Zuerlein was 17 of 19 from that range. The only other kicker in OTAs is undrafted free agent Taylor Bertolet from Texas A&M.

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The Rams are holding their third and final period of organized team activities (OTAs) starting Tuesday. Players and coaches will be on the field, running through plays and scenarios, but the sessions are less intense than regular-season practices.

Where: River Ridge Fields, Oxnard

Who: All veterans and rookies are invited to participate, and while the sessions are optional, the Rams expect strong attendance.

When: Three times a week, starting Tuesday, but the two-hour on-field sessions are not open to the public.

Why: Think of it as the NFL’s version of college football’s spring practice. The Rams haven’t been together since mid-January, so OTAs present them an opportunity to sharpen their skills together before the start of training camp in late July.

Rams last to begin OTAs with plenty of work to do

Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/29548/rams-last-to-begin-otas-with-plenty-of-work-to-do

OXNARD, Calif. — The Los Angeles Rams are set to begin organized team activities Tuesday as the last team in the NFL to embark on the final stage of the offseason program.

That the Rams are the last to begin is mostly inconsequential. The decision to begin later actually comes with a reason. Coach Jeff Fisher has long been a believer in getting his rookie class acclimated to the team before throwing them in with the veterans for the closest thing the offseason program offers to a regular-season practice.

“We want them to go out and condition and be prepared to go into the drills,” Fisher said. “Our offseason program is this, we can’t come together until June, until the OTAs. So that’s when the offense and defense come together and compete, so we’re separate, so they’ll just be drilling. That’s an excellent opportunity to get them up. Once they come together in the OTAs in June, then they’ll be able to compete.

“So it works out good — you get more out of the vets, the ‘rooks’ get to see it. Once we get to OTAs, everything will be good.”

Well, we are now to OTAs with practices this week set for Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. Over the following two weeks, the Rams are also scheduled to have OTAs on June 7, 8 and 10, with a mandatory minicamp set for June 14-16. In past years, Fisher has eschewed that final minicamp so long as his team has strong participation in the offseason program to that point. With only six OTAs on the schedule and teams allowed up to 10, it’s possible minicamp could be canceled and more OTA dates added that final week.

Regardless of how the schedule plays out, there’s still plenty of work to do over the next three weeks. Last week, we asked five questions that need answers during OTAs.

Here’s a look at some of the things the Rams would like to accomplish in the coming days and weeks:

Get the offense down — It’s unlikely the Rams will install a drastically different offense than what they’ve run in the past, but it’s also safe to say there will be some tweaks now that Rob Boras is settled in as offensive coordinator full time. Boras and passing game coordinator Mike Groh will attempt to get the offense installed during OTAs so the team, especially quarterback Jared Goff, has a solid working knowledge of it when the Rams come back for training camp in July.

Fill holes on defense — The Rams still have plenty of talent on defense, but some of that has been reconfigured because of the free-agent departures of cornerback Janoris Jenkins and safety Rodney McLeod, and the release of end Chris Long and linebacker James Laurinaitis. The Rams plan to lean on in-house options such as cornerback E.J. Gaines, linebacker Alec Ogletree and end William Hayes to fill the void. As for McLeod’s spot, that’s something we’ll truly get a feel for during these OTAs as players such as Maurice Alexander, Cody Davis, Christian Bryant and even Lamarcus Joyner could get a look there.

Mix in the rookies — As mentioned above, the Rams haven’t been quick to put the rookies in with the veterans but will do it in a practice setting for the first time during these OTAs. It’s natural that the rookies will have a lot of catching up to do, but the question is how much? Goff, in particular, will be an interesting case. The Rams have made it clear they don’t intend to rush Goff, but they can at least give him his first look at an NFL defense and see where he stands as he adjusts to a pro-style offense

Rams Begin OTAs in Oxnard

By Myles Simmons

http://www.therams.com/news-and-events/article-1/Rams-Begin-OTAs-in-Oxnard/653a9709-2c92-4298-913b-29d389d1720b

The Rams have officially reached Phase III of the offseason program, as they held their first of nine OTAs on Tuesday afternoon.

“It’s really exciting to get everybody together,” head coach Jeff Fisher told therams.com following practice. “For those who don’t know, it’s the first time where we could interact with offense and defense. So we’ve been on the field off and on for the last month, but they’re in great shape.”

Per the NFL rules set in the latest collective bargaining agreement, there are three phases of the offseason program. The first consists of only strength and conditioning work on the field, though coaches may discuss Xs and Os in the classroom. In Phase II, coaches may interact with players on the field, but must keep the offense and defense completely separate. Now, the Rams may have both offense and defense on the same field at the same time.

That fact brings about plenty of competition, and on Tuesday L.A. harnessed that energy through one-on-one drills. In one such activity, position groups went against one another with a simple objective. For the quarterback and receiver: complete the pass. For the defender: force an incompletion.

With the season so far away, it’s a time where the best will go up against the best — like linebacker Alec Ogletree and running back Todd Gurley. Or cornerback Trumaine Johnson and wide receiver Tavon Austin.

Aside from that type of competition, Fisher said the plan for Phase III is to go through the second of three playbook installation processes.

“We’ve already done that once,” Fisher said. “You do it before OTAs, then during OTAs, then once again in training camp. So we’re just going back. And then we’re going to put them in a lot of different situations — in two-minute stuff, and some hurry up.”

While the defense should look similar in its third year under coordinator Gregg Williams, the Rams have changed many elements of their offense. After taking over with four games to go in 2015, Rob Boras remains at offensive coordinator. Plus, the team hired Mike Groh to be its passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach.

Fisher said he’s already noticed growth for the receivers under Groh, specifically mentioning Brian Quick. The head coach expects the new-look offense to significantly increase wide receiver Tavon Austin’s production.

“When it’s all said and done, we’ll be able to look back and, I think, see Tavon maybe double in catches over what he had last year,” Fisher said. “And that’s the most important thing, is just get the chunks down the field.”

As for who will be throwing Austin those passes, quarterback Case Keenum was the first to take snaps under center on Tuesday. Fisher said Keenum received between 60 to 70 percent of the Day 1 reps. And while that situation will likely change sooner than later with rookie Jared Goff’s expected development, Fisher isn’t concerned about the sense of competition between the QBs.

“The room’s not an issue because all of them are professional,” Fisher said. “But they also understand that the reps are going to change. And as soon as Jared comes along in becoming more familiar with things, then we’ll start increasing his reps. So there’s a lot of reps to go around.”

According to the head coach, the No. 1 overall pick handled his first reps of OTAs well, just as expected.

“I’ve watched him throw a lot of balls, and he did fine,” Fisher said. “He’s accurate. He knows where to put it. He knows what shoulder to put it on. It’s just a matter of putting it all together. Today was good for him because he got to go up against a defense — a defense that was running full speed that’s somewhat sophisticated.”

While Goff didn’t take reps with the unit today, Fisher said he’ll mix in Goff with the first-team offense sooner than later.

“As soon as Jared comes along in becoming more familiar with things, then we’ll start increasing his reps,” Fisher said. “I want to make sure he gets “one” reps at least two, three, or four days through the OTAs.”

And so with Day 1 in the books, Fisher said the team is off to a good start for Phase III.

“Everybody we expected to be here was here,” Fisher said, “and I felt we got in a lot of good work for the first day.”