camp reports 8/2

KnowBody

How can one possibly present any meaningful information about nothing

Well, nothing is all relative, depending on who you are, and where you are at, so to me, watching a padless practice while communicating with a new found friend, nothing was the actual practice itself

I do this because I love people. And maybe there is one interested Rams fan out there that wants to read a different take on this team during this immensely meaningful, yet meaningless time of year

This will be all flow, no order, other than that divined by chance

What I saw was what I expected to see, a magical catch by Stedman Bailey

On a perfect throw by Nick Foles where he put it the only place it could be

Jenks made a strong play on the ball, but Bailey’s concentration and hands were to strong.. he and Foles hooked up for what, to me, was the play of the day for the offense

The defense is making plays and forcing turnovers. Swarming to the ball and attacking with brutality, maybe too much, even, because the pads are not even on yet.. but still, I respect that they gave all their heart to a practice, as should be done, as it is just as important as the performance that you are in training for

Let me interrupt this transcript to explain to you how wrong I can be. I thought Isaiah Pead was going to be a superstar Barry Sanders type running back in this league. I talked him up endlessly during his first training camp. I did my part in creating a false set of expectations for you all to have; which is why this report, as well as any report, should be taken lightly, and read for sheer enjoyment, and not for actually learning anything, in my opinion. Pead saw limited action but gave every ounce of energy and heart that he had to it, so for that alone he should be commended. Just because he didn’t live up to my unrealistic expectations, doesn’t make him a failure, not in my eyes, at least..

I was distraught when I did not see Gaines on the field, but Marcus Roberson stepped up and made some place out there.. and speaking of CB’s, Joyner is my Defensive MVP of the practice of 8-2… he made a strong play on the ball protecting a score at the last second and came up with what would have been a pick six, once again created by heavy pressure from our dominant Dline.. he is looking like the playmaker that we used a second rounder on, at least today, he was

I really do love every player on the team and people in general, again, which is why I am writing this report, but in my opinion, Gaines is a better cornerback than Janoris Jenkins… don’t get me wrong, I love me some Jenk when he is recovering fumbles, intercepting the ball and laying out TE’s, and I hope he has a phenomenal season, dont get me wrong, but I still think Gaines is the more consistent corner of the two.. is it my Mizzou loyalty bleeding through, perhaps, but I think the world of Gaines and his potential, so long as he can stay healthy.. hope the reports on his health are positive!!

in this passing league you need way more than just two quality cover men though, so all will find their time and place

Ogletree might be our best defensive player, or the player with the highest ceiling, other than anyone on our DL.. he is fun to watch play the game. The zone blitzing that Williams enjoys to use in order to confuse the offense presnap plays perfectly into his game because he can play man or zone as well as a safety.. he should have had a pick today.. foles was forced to throw a bad pass by the nonstop interior beast rush, he stepped up to make the play, similarly to his pick six against the Texans, but dropped the ball.. hopefully he makes that play when it counts. i believe he will.

Side note: It is nice not having to report on how well sam Bradford is looking this time of year

Not saying that Nick is the surefire answer, but he did throw a few beautiful balls today, as did Keenum, in conditions that do not accurately represent real game conditions, so they thusly must be taken for what they are… nothing… he also made a few poor throws.. our offense is struggling to find itself against a great defense. So as long as the offensive players don’t let the lack of perfection disable them from maintaining that inner confidence, they will grow, together, better every day.. they just have to learn how to work together and communicate..

that new OLine looks the part, with those massive piles of pure beastliness ready to protect at all costs, but they gave way too much today..

that said, Nick Foles still made some nice throws and the offense had some decent plays, that would have been valid scores or first downs, but all in all, it was rather pathetic to watch

they are just learning, like young puppies, so I treat them as such, as most of them are way younger than me at 29

Anything that we want pin point our attention on, we will see, and it is difficult to focus on individual points when everything is happening at once, and it is happening instantaneously, and I really didn’t know what to key in on today, but for the most part, so my specifics and what not have been compromised

Robinson is an athletic freak at the LT position. He is faster than last year, and much quicker to react with the proper instincts. He made an impressive play on a screen that only the most athletic and determined LT’s can make. He did get beat by Quinn several times, but who doesn’t get struck by black lightning from time to time ?

Havenstein is a mean beast out on that field.. i wouldn’t want to mess with that dude, or any of these guys, really

enough of the good, on to the bad, The interior of our Oline was eaten alive by Donald and Fairley today, and don’t forget about Brockers too, what a beastly line we have… but the addition of Fairley might have been a bigger move than I first thought

Stedman Bailey is our #1 receiver, imo, he needs to be on the field more

Tavon looks more confident and sure of himself than he did a few years ago.. I expect to be wrong about him being a bust. He already isn’t a bust, as he helped us beat indy, and I love and respect any Ram on the team that does anything to help us win games

But losing, as a masochistic Rams fan, it has been great.. I love rooting for the underdog. That said, I am ready for the Rams to dominate because i am changing my ways. From start to finish of every game, all year long. I know that perfection is impossible. But so was that throw that Foles made to Bailey, and yet, as we know, it was still made.

I just hope we get through camp and preseason healthy

I didn’t focus much on the specifics because I spent the majority of my concentration on communicating with this interesting individual that I met there who helped me remember how unimportant money is, as it will leave every single one of you when it is your time to pass on from this life.. also, he pointed out the three bright shining trees on the otherside.. I could try to explain what we communicated about but it would be a waste of time and space

Thus, as it is now apparent, I was able to care enough about that communication, and let go of caring so much about every single play that is made at practice today, because I didn’t think I was going to write a report.

I didn’t go to camp to write a report

I went to camp to watch the magical Bailey catch and talk to this brother of mine that doesn’t even really care much for the Rams

You don’t have to be a rams fan to be on my side
As evidence by the title, this practice wasn’t serious, not to me at least, but a serious fight did break out between the offense and defense

The energy at this practice was intense, even though I know that the coaches wanted them to take it easy and focus on technique and that sort of thing

This team could turn into something very special.. I don’t want to preach optimism so that I can form my little tent of Rams believers, but I haven’t seen a defense this disruptive and chaotic and downright dominant since I became a Rams fan back when they moved to Saint Louis

The key will be can this offensive line create time and space for Foles and our Rb’s

The key will always be, is our interior our greatest strength?

On defense, yes, on offense, I’m not so sure. It is a mystery

It was refreshing to see Rams football being played again

I look forward to my own continued self growth as well as the growth of this team

However, if this team lets me down, which it has done every year for the last 15 years, I will still love them

I just hope they stay in STL

Go Rams!!!!

i see the heart and i love it

if you have any particular players, oh yeah, Alex Bayer is our best pass catching TE imo, that you want my non expert opinion on, let me know, i will try to get around to them as time allows

hope you have a swell evening, and shine on