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August 15, 2014 at 1:18 am #4027
RamBillParticipantJenkins, Langford among Rams back on field
• By Jim ThomasFollowing the preseason opener against New Orleans, coach Jeff Fisher said there was a chance 15 or 16 of the 18 players who sat out that contest could be on the field the following week against Green Bay.
As the practice week winds down for the 3 p.m. kickoff Saturday at the Edward Jones Dome, the total of returning players won’t be that high. But it’s clear the Rams are getting bodies back as the regular season approaches.
On Thursday, starting cornerback Janoris Jenkins returned to the field after missing more than a week with a hamstring injury.
“I’m doing wonderful,” Jenkins said. “I feel pretty good. Glad to be out there with my teammates, compete, and just have fun.”
Jenkins suffered the injury trying to defend a fade pattern to Brian Quick earlier this training camp at Rams Park.
“When I reached over my head to grab the ball, I kind of came down awkward and I felt it,” Jenkins said.
It’s clear that Jenkins is feeling much better, to the point where he basically tried to sneak into 11-on-11 — or “team” — drills earlier in the week while working on the side.
“I was just trying to get a few plays in; just trying to sneak a few plays in,” Jenkins said, smiling broadly.
When asked if he was anxious to make his preseason debut against the Packers, he replied: “I’m ready.”
Fisher said it had yet to be determined whether Jenkins would play against the Packers.
“Trumaine (Johnson) will be back in the game; Brandon McGee will be back,” Fisher said. “So the younger corners will play later in the game.”
Johnson and McGee (ankle) were among the group that sat out the New Orleans game. So even if Jenkins doesn’t suit up, the Rams will have two of their top three corners in action against Green Bay.
At linebacker, James Laurinaitis (ankle) will sit out once again; he’s pointing for a return on Aug. 23 in Cleveland.
Up front, it looks like Michael Brockers (ankle) will sit another week, but Kendall Langford will return at defensive tackle.
Langford was bothered by a bone bruise in his elbow earlier in camp.
“I was giving it a shot during warmups against New Orleans, but my coach (defensive line coach Mike Waufle) felt he needed to pull me, so he made the call and told me to just rest,” Langford said.
After an offseason of more intensive training, Langford hopes to pick up where he left off in 2013 as he enters his third season with the Rams.
“Last year was way better than my first year,” Langford said. “This year’s gonna be better than last year. I had a little learning curve to go through. I adjusted. Played well my second year, but now I’m looking forward to a big year.”
Langford is down to 295 pounds after playing at 300-plus in his first two seasons in St. Louis. He started training about a month earlier than usual, ate right, and swore off all alcohol except for wine.
As a result, Langford said he’s in better shape than at any time since entering the league in 2008 as a Miami Dolphin.
“I feel good about the hay I put in the barn this offseason,” Langford said. “I feel like I play better when I’m lighter. I focused on it, and I’m feeling good.”
On offense, Fisher said quarterback Sam Bradford will play at least a quarter, and possibly into the second quarter against the Packers. Center Scott Wells is expected to return to action, in addition to backup running backs Isaiah Pead (hand) and Trey Watts (hamstring).
But Fisher said he has decided to hold back left tackle Jake Long until the Cleveland game.
“Jake’s doing a great job here, but we’re going to wait another week for Jake, and that’ll be the case with a couple of other guys,” Fisher said.
Even before the start of camp, Fisher had indicated that the goal was to have Long, who underwent January knee surgery, participate in preseason play starting with either Game 2 or Game 3. So he’s still on schedule.
Guard/tackle Rodger Saffold will miss his second consecutive preseason game, but Fisher said he’s close to returning to practice.
The Rams lost rookie center Demetrius Rhaney during Thursday’s practice when his left knee buckled while blocking during a field goal drill. He was taken off the field on a cart, but initial indications are that it’s not a serious injury.
“All indications right now are preliminary that Demetrius is going to be OK, which is encouraging,” Fisher said. “We’ll have to do an MRI but it looks like the interior of the knee is good, so that’s good news.”
With Barrett Jones still sidelined with a back issue, the Rams could be a little thin at center against the Packers. Mike Person got some work at center Thursday.
August 15, 2014 at 1:27 am #4028RamBillParticipantRams notes: Vermeil part of group taking football to China
• By Joe LyonsFormer Rams head coach Dick Vermeil and his partners are taking American indoor professional football to China.
In an unprecedented move, the government of China, along with its ministry of sport, has given official approach and sanctioning for the China American Football League (CAFL) to begin play in 2015.
The approval to bring a pro football league to the world’s most populated country (1.4 billion people) came after several years of endeavors by U.S. businessman Marty Judge, the CEO and founder of Pennsylvania-based The Judge Group.
Judge, a co-owner of the Arena Football League, is partners with Super Bowl-winning coach Vermeil and former NFL MVP and current ESPN analyst Ron Jaworski.
Besides serving as a league investor and partner, Vermeil will serve as a league spokesman and ambassador.
“Hey, once a coach, always a coach, so you know that this is coming I’m very much looking forward to,’’ Vermeil said in a press release Thursday. “Anyone who knows me knows that I have always had a tremendous passion for our game of football. To get the opportunity to share our great sport with the sports fans in China is something that very much excites me.’’
The CAFL, which will feature a combination of American and Chinese players, plans to kick off in August 2015 with six to eight indoor teams in two conferences with franchises in major cities throughout China. Plans also include a championship game and an all-star game in Macau.
Franchise owners will initially invest $10 million and will receive a portion of TV licensing rights.
After considerable analysis of traditional American football vs. the arena-style game, the Chinese Rugby Football Association concluded that indoor American football best suits the Chinese fan base due to its faster pace, scoring and close-to-the-fans entertainment. Also, China has limited outdoor stadiums that would be conducive to traditional football but an abundance of high-caliber arenas that make indoor, arena-style football the compelling model for a launch of professional football.
Last year, the Arena Football League held its all-star game in Beijing and 10,000 people showed up, which showed there is a curiosity about the game in China, Judge said. The Super Bowl has been broadcast in China for four years.
“With the backing of the Chinese government, the sky is the limit for how we can grow American football in the vast, untapped Chinese marketplace,’’ Judge said.
SNEAD IN FOR CHARITY
Rams general manager Les Snead took the plunge in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. In turn, Snead challenged rapper Nelly and actor Ty Burrell of Modern Family fame. Both are big Rams fans.
RAM-BLINGS
• The Rams worked a lot on the run game Thursday in preparation for Saturday’s 3 p.m. preseason game against the Green Bay Packers at the Edward Jones Dome.
“It was good. We had two real good periods,’’ Rams coach Jeff Fisher said. “One was exclusively run and then the other one was the run play-pass. I thought they worked well together and got some stuff done. Now we’ll back down and focus a little bit on the Packers.’’
Some key pass plays during Thursday’s workout, which drew 369 fans, included a 25-yarder down the right sideline from Sam Bradford to Brian Quick and a well-placed Bradford pass down the middle to tight end Lance Kendricks.
In the same “team’’ session, safety Rodney McLeod nearly picked off a Bradford pass intended for Quick, and rookie free agent defensive end Ethan Westbrooks batted down an Austin Davis pass at the line of scrimmage.
In a later session, Bradford hooked up with Quick on a pass to the outside but then overthrew Kendricks on a pass picked off by McLeod. Newcomer Brad Smelley showed some nice hands at tight end, coming down with a Shaun Hill pass in traffic.
Late in the workout, wideout Emory Blake snagged a Garrett Gilbert pass between defenders Cody Davis and Marcus Roberson.
• Blake’s father, longtime NFL quarterback Jeff Blake, was at practice Thursday, getting a look at his son. The elder Blake still looks like he’s in playing shape and said he still throws passes to Emory and his nephews, but wants no part of getting hit anymore.
Jeff Blake, who also made a trip to watch the Rams during OTAs, spent 13 seasons in the NFL. He enjoyed his most success with Cincinnati, earning a Pro Bowl berth in 1995.
Emory Blake, an Auburn University product who was on the practice squad a year ago, has looked good in camp and was among the Rams’ leading receivers against New Orleans last weekend with three catches for 41 yards.
“I think he’s finally starting to feel comfortable,’’ Jeff Blake said. “And once that happens, you can just go out and play football.’’
• The Rams are down to two open-to-the-public workouts next week — 3:30 p.m. Tuesday and 3:30 p.m. Wednesday.
• Demand is up slightly for Rams’ tickets on the secondary market according to StubHub. The Rams are 24th in sales this year after ranking 29th a year ago. The hottest tickets for Rams’ home games are Sept. 21 against the Dallas Cowboys and Nov. 16 against the Denver Broncos.
On the road, the biggest demand for the Rams is the Nov. 2 contest at San Francisco.
A few other StubHub tidbits: Dallas is the top-selling team overall and for home games. The top-selling road squad is San Francisco.
The top-selling single game is the Sept. 7 contest featuring the 49ers at the Cowboys.
Jim Thomas of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.
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