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April 25, 2017 at 11:17 pm #67810
znModeratorRams coach Sean McVay is a man of action during first day of mini-camp
RICH HAMMONDHOUSAND OAKS – Tuesday marked the first time since his hiring that Rams coach Sean McVay could be on the practice field for a full-team scrimmage. McVay might have set foot on every blade of grass.
The energetic, fast-talking McVay, the youngest coach in NFL history when the Rams hired him in January, was everywhere. Early in the mini-camp practice, McVay tossed footballs with defensive backs. Later, he sprinted across the field to track receivers during a drill.
“It was great,” McVay said after the practice at Cal Lutheran. “You’re quickly reminded why you love coaching so much. The effort and energy was outstanding.”
The three-day mini-camp is part of the Rams’ OTA program, which started this month and will continue into June, although McVay also is actively involved with preparations for the draft, which starts Thursday.
The Rams’ hiring of a new coach afforded them the chance to host a voluntary mini-camp. According to McVay, all players were accounted for, although some, such as linebacker Mark Barron and safety Maurice Alexander, were kept off the field because of injury issues.“It went a lot better than a lot of us thought it would,” quarterback Jared Goff said. “There weren’t many hiccups. On the first day, you expect there to be some re-dos and stuff you have to do over and talk about. For the most part, it went really smoothly and I was really happy with it.”
Goff, not surprisingly, remains a focus for the Rams. A year after he learned the system of previous Coach Jeff Fisher and offensive coordinator Rob Boras, now he’s being asked to learn a new system and work with a new group of coaches.
Goff said he has enjoyed the feedback from his quarterback-focused coaches, also including offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur and quarterbacks coach Greg Olson, and McVay praised Goff’s first day of mini-camp.
“I thought he did a nice job, just being able to manage the huddle,” McVay said. “Get in and out, get lined up, call the plays properly, get some of the communication pre-snap that’s necessary. And then I think you saw him sit in there and make some good throws.”
It’s been almost one full year since the Rams made Goff the No. 1 overall pick in last year’s draft, a move that started a whirlwind season. Goff started off as the Rams’ No. 3 quarterback, then took over as starter midseason, went winless in seven starts and got battered behind a struggling Rams offensive line.
Asked to reflect about the draft process, Goff didn’t exactly sound nostalgic about the crush of attention.
“I feel bad for these kids,” Goff said. “Even talking to some of these quarterbacks, I’m like, ‘I feel you. Just make it through it.’ It’s not fun, but ultimately it’s worth your while.”
BIG CHANGE
The Rams, under new defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, will transition from a 4-3 front to a 3-4 scheme, but the players seem to enjoy the change and Phillips himself. The 69-year-old veteran coach quickly is becoming known for his dry wit, some of which he displays on social media.
Robert Quinn seems to be enjoying Phillips, even though Quinn is being asked to make a big move from defensive end to outside linebacker. Quinn said the transition hasn’t been troubling and said he has studied former Denver defender DeMarcus Ware, who made a similar transition under Phillips.
“Oh, you haven’t seen my locker,” Quinn said with a smile. “I’ve got all his career stats. He wore 94. I wear 94. He’s an instant Hall of Famer once he’s eligible. He’s definitely going to be probably the main one I study. I’m going to see how the best do it.”
MOVING AROUND
As expected, the Rams started mini-camp with a new-look offensive line that included two recent free-agent signings: left tackle Andrew Whitworth and center John Sullivan.
Rodger Saffold returned to left guard, while Greg Robinson moved to right tackle (from left tackle) and Rob Havenstein moved to right guard (from right tackle). According to Havenstein, coaches have said that the best five linemen will start, and that further position shifting could take place.
“They don’t have me at center right now, which is a good thing because I haven’t snapped since high school,” Havenstein joked. “I’m just really trying to pick up the scheme of the offense, rather than just learning one position. If you tell me a play, I want to be able to tell you what everyone is doing.”
April 25, 2017 at 11:22 pm #67811znModeratorRams Begin Sean McVay’s 1st Minicamp
Myles Simmons
Having completed Phase I of the offseason program, the Rams players and coaches were on the grass for the first time Tuesday for Day 1 of the club’s voluntary veteran minicamp.
It’s a day head coach Sean McVay has been anticipating since he was hired in January, as it’s the first time he’s been able to be on the field with his new club.
“You’re quickly reminded why you love coaching so much. Getting around these players on the grass and their effort and energy was outstanding,” McVay said. “We’ll see if we can come back tomorrow with the same type of juice.”
The team did its first on-field work with a morning walk-thru before its practice in the afternoon. According to quarterback Jared Goff, the a.m. session felt a bit more like full-speed given the team’s enthusiasm for being back on the field.
“It’s always that new energy,” Goff said. “Today during our walk-thru — we walked-thru this morning at about 11 — and it was basically a run-thru because we’re so excited to be out here and [McVay] said, ‘Okay guys, slow down, it’s just a walk-thru.’”
The positive energy carried into the afternoon for a lively first practice. McVay spent much of the individual drills with the defensive backs, becoming an active participant by throwing passes. It might not be something he does every day, but McVay wanted to get involved on the defensive side.
“I started out with the defensive backs, just to get around them in the beginning in their individual drills,” McVay said. “And then during some of those team periods, the nice thing is you can use that walkie and send in the plays offensively, but you can kind of be on the back end, be around the defensive players.”
But cornerback Trumaine Johnsonjoked about getting McVay away from the DBs given his coaching background.
“Actually, he was over there with our DB group throwing the balls, I told him, ‘I know you’re the head coach,’ but he’s on the offensive side — he can’t be over here with the defense right now,” Johnson said with a laugh.
“I was telling our secondary coaches on the back end, I said, ‘I’ve got to get used to being happy for the defense on a good play, too.’ But it was great,” McVay said.
From an installation standpoint, the Rams appear to be in a good place. Goff said he was particularly impressed by how smooth the afternoon session went.
“It went a lot better than, maybe, a lot of us thought it would,” Goff said. “There weren’t many hiccups. You come out on the first day and you expect there to be some re-dos and some stuff you have to do over and talk about.”
Given the lack of do-overs, Goff said the installation process has gone great so far.
“Obviously someone is doing something right and it starts up top with the coaches and the way that they’ve installed it,” Goff said. “It’s obviously stuck in our brain. I know it’s only Day 1, but I was very pleased.”
The Rams’ voluntary minicamp runs three days, from Tuesday to Thursday. McVay said the most important thing he wants to see from the players in these three practices is daily improvement.
“I really think the goal is, for us as a coaching staff, to get a good chance to evaluate our players, their ability to retain some of the information we’ve taught over the first couple of weeks and then translate it to the grass,” McVay said. “We’re looking for that daily improvement. We feel like we got better today and we’ll see if we can do the same thing
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