practice, camp Day 11, 8/10

EJ Gaines on Rams CBs: "This is one of the tightest groups I've been around." Video … https://t.co/t1sbvEGKoP pic.twitter.com/AVwtV3NIkL

— Alden Gonzalez (@Alden_Gonzalez) August 11, 2017

EJ Gaines, on the Rams’ corners: “This is one of the tightest groups I’ve been around.” More on yesterday’s fights, how it galvanized the group, and his role on the team.

Alden Gonzalez, ESPN Staff Writer [go to link for vid]

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Best play from practice today involved Cooper Kupp and EJ Gaines … https://t.co/rpnYQtFbxP

— Alden Gonzalez (@Alden_Gonzalez) August 11, 2017

Best play from Rams practice today: Cooper Kupp high-pointed a throw from Jared Goff and was about to come down with it near the sidelines, but EJ Gaines, who got into two fights against Chargers players Wednesday, had him well defended and batted the ball away. Gaines might have lost a starting spot to Kayvon Webster, but he still believes he can have an impact on this team. “Honestly, since I’ve gotten here, I’ve had a chip on my shoulder,” Gaines said. “I just can’t help but compete.”

Alden Gonzalez, ESPN Staff Writer

Training Camp Report: Quick Hits From Day 11

Kristen Lago

http://www.therams.com/news-and-events/article-1/Training-Camp-Report-Quick-Hits-From-Day-11/3ecd16fc-eff0-4377-9736-8ef1c60ed262

After a very spirited practice with the Chargers on Wednesday, the Rams were back on field at UC Irvine for Day 11 of their 2017 training camp. With just two practices left until the team’s preseason opener against the Cowboys, this afternoon’s session was noticeably lighter and shorter in nature.

Here’s what you need to know from Day 11:

QUICK HITS FROM THE FIELD

– Players entered the field today in jerseys, shorts, and helmets with no pads. They spent the majority of the first half of practice walking through various plays, allowing the team to focus on the mental side of the game after yesterday’s very physical session.

– Wide receiver Josh Reynolds was back participating in practice today after missing the last few sessions with a hamstring issue. Wideout Tavon Austin, linebacker Samson Ebukam and offensive tackle Andrew Donnal remained sidelined this afternoon and will likely miss the preseason opener on Saturday.

– Head Coach Sean McVay was also able to get in on the fun playing defensive back to his wide receivers, staying with them as they ran from midfield all the way to the end zone.

– Quarterback Jared Goff looked sharp throughout today’s non-contact practice. He completed a number of passes to tight end Tyler Higbee who is quickly becoming one of Goff’s most reliable targets. Goff also made numerous completions to wideouts Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods throughout the various drills.

– Cornerback E.J. Gaines also had a big play in this afternoon’s practice staying with Kupp on a route down the sidelines and batting the ball out of the receiver’s hands.

– In yesterday’s joint practice with the Chargers many of the plays called allowed for Goff to experiment with the long ball downfield. Today the majority of his routes were immediate to mid range shots with a lot of emphasis on the run game. However, early on in the day Goff did get to stretch his arm practicing what looked like a few “hail mary” passes into the end zone

– Safety LaMarcus Joyner had a few impressive pass breakups during the 11-on-11 drills in man coverage. He has looked settled and confident in his new position throughout camp after transitioning from the slot corner role to a free safety.

– Earlier today the Rams added a new placekicker to their active roster signing former Browns’ player Travis Coons. The Rams roster now stands at the league maximum of 90 players.

– Rams’ owner Stan Kroenke was also on the sidelines at today’s practice to watch his team gear up for the preseason opener.

STANDING OUT

After providing the play of the day with his punt return for a touchdown yesterday, wide receiver Shakeir Ryan continued to stand out in Thursday’s practice.

Today the wideout was flying all over the field and recorded another memorable catch, diving to grab a ball from quarterback Sean Mannion. Though this is his first training camp in the NFL, he has been an exciting player to watch throughout camp.

PRESS POINTS

After practice McVay spoke to the media about his first upcoming game as a head coach. Catch up on his most interesting points from Day 11 and check out his full interview here:

SEAN McVAY:

On how anxious he is to get on the field and experience his first preseason game as Head Coach: “I’m excited. I’m excited to watch these guys compete. I think they’ve done a good job throughout the course of training camp of putting themselves in a position to have success, and that’s what it’s about is allowing these guys to go play with a quieted mind and just play to the best of their ability. I think it offers a great opportunity for us to play in front of our home fans for the first time this season. I know as a coaching staff and our players, we’re excited about it.”