Rams & Chargers both on Hard Knocks this summer

Sean McVay is 'really excited' about Rams being on 'Hard Knocks' https://t.co/slKJEAn74K

— Rams Wire (@TheRamsWire) June 18, 2020

Every year on “Hard Knocks,” there are a few players who become stars of the show. The Rams have a lot of candidates to claim that title https://t.co/bJ9rDUyhvQ

— Cameron DaSilva (@camdasilva) June 20, 2020

Nothing says 2020 more than Sean McVay’s new look at training camp.⁣
⁣#HardKnocksNow pic.twitter.com/9bzQhwphmn

— NFL Films (@NFLFilms) August 3, 2020

Louis Riddick@LRiddickESPN
#HardKnocks teaching more about procedures, protocols, social distancing, how to attempt function safely/minimize risk during this pandemic than anything else you will see on TV.

Richard Deitschricharddeitsch
That was one of my biggest takeaways from this episode — the repeated messaging on risk (masks etc…) versus reward (getting to play) and particularly from Anthony Lynn, who was so on point with respecting the lives of others.

from https://theathletic.com/1990754/2020/08/12/go-inside-the-hard-knocks-debut-with-our-rams-and-chargers-writers/?source=twittered

The Rams’ equipment and medical staffs showed more insight into the attention to detail they’re paying to keeping everyone safe this year, from the massive open-sided tent to the foot bars placed on drink coolers so that players don’t have to open them up with their hands. Something I appreciated was the in-depth look into the precautions and protocols surrounding COVID-19, coaches having honest discussions about it and players reminding each other to wear their masks.
The Rams, of course, distributed face masks with variations of their new logo on them as players arrived to camp. We also got a look at the new practice facility locker rooms, but they’ve been altered even further to deal with COVID-19 precautions and many lockers have been moved into the former media room.
Aaron Donald getting his blood drawn is all of us — the hulking defensive tackle had to look away as the needle went in.
Cornerback Donte Deayon is an absolute star in this episode. From his one-liner to the nurse as she stuck the swab up his nose during his COVID-19 test — “Buy me dinner first!” — to his lobbying to get out of the media-room locker expansion area into the swankier upgraded room, to his flexing toward Donald … Deayon is already a locker-room favorite, and “Hard Knocks” is playing well to that.
Star cornerback Jalen Ramsey reasonably didn’t want to talk about his contract — he told reporters last week he asked his agent to only call him when it’s done — but “Hard Knocks” sure wanted to talk about it.
As football walkthroughs begin, we get a few glimpses of how the Rams’ plans may unfold. First, McVay is heard outlining a play out of 12 personnel, a formation he utilized heavily in the latter half of the 2019 season. Tight end Tyler Higbee, the direct beneficiary of more 12 personnel in the game plan, was also shown catching a ball from Goff near the end of the episode.
Second, we see running back Darrell Henderson getting carries with the first team. Henderson will likely share duties with veteran Malcom Brown and rookie Cam Akers, but how that distribution shakes out remains to be seen.
Third, we also got a little glimpse at the first-team offensive line from left to right: Andrew Whitworth, Austin Corbett, Austin Blythe, David Edwards and Rob Havenstein.
The Rams couldn’t confirm this when they placed him on the reserve list, but “Hard Knocks” showed that rookie outside linebacker Terrell Lewis tested positive for COVID-19. Lewis revealed that he was on the “10-day incubation plan,” and he’s currently back in the building and asymptomatic, per McVay. Lewis tweeted after the episode aired that he’s doing well.
There are some great (and new) McVay-isms to be heard. In one scene, McVay is sitting with his coaching staff and trying out a new clear plastic face shield that resembles a welding mask. “I don’t give a shit if I look like a total tool that should have a blowtorch over my shoulder,” he cracks. Then, he pretended to diagram a play over the top of the mask, saying, “I’ll carry a bottle of Windex around if I have to.”
Another McVay-ism ends the episode, and it pretty much sums up the head coach. He’s conducting meetings on Zoom, and “Hard Knocks” cuts between his screen and his players. “It’s hot as shit in the Valley,” he says, “I got this freakin’ sun steamin’ in here, I’m sweatin’, I’m excited. Throwing a lot of stuff at you guys. I got a lot more shit, too. Before I move on, does anybody need to go check their pants? Anybody shit themselves yet? How much better will it be when we can say, ‘Let’s get up and do what we really do.’ Play football. Line up. This is why the Zoom stuff is for the birds. I fuckin’ love football and I love you guys.”
We have a little bit of a mystery on our hands at Rams camp as “Hard Knocks” continues. According to McVay in the end credits, somebody excreted solid waste in one of the shared Port-a-Potties. That’s a big no-no. Donald and Sebastian Joseph-Day seem to be on the case — early thoughts from them are that it was someone on the “Hard Knocks” crew.

Ratings way down for Hard Knocks https://t.co/FkoraMTdiz

— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) August 13, 2020

Zooey wrote:

Noteboom as a backup.

That is not what we were hoping for.

I am not ready to write NB off. He comes in this year after surgery as a back-up to a 38 year-old LOT in Whitworth, which effectively means he is the heir apparent at LOT.

He had a rough start at guard but they apparently have guys they like better as guards. In fact there are 3 of them–edwards, corbett, evans–along with a very promising possible steal in anchrum. NB being behind those guys at OG doesn’t mean he isn’t cut out to be a left OT–I suspect he does not have the raw power to play guard but does have the feet and athleticism to play left OT.

So if NB is working out, which I suspect he is, that probably means it’s a deep line.