reporters on the first week of camp

Lebron? Machado? This LA trend was started by the Rams https://t.co/JnMseMR3vK

— Joe Curley (@vcsjoecurley) July 26, 2018

==

Don’t tell me the 36yo has lost a step. #LARams pic.twitter.com/8y82sxtRdl

— J.B. Long (@JB_Long) July 26, 2018

==

Defense making plays on day 1 of #RamsCamp!@WilsonRamik with the juggling INT! (Nice try @AqibTalib21 😂) pic.twitter.com/f18wzoL7D9

— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) July 27, 2018

Vincent Bonsignore@DailyNewsVinny
I spent a lot of time watching the DB group yesterday. lt looks elite. And keep in mind, there is a belief in the #Rams building that Troy Hill was playing every bit as good as Trumain Johnson was down the stretch last year.

#Rams were very comfortable with the prospect of Hill as a starter this year, had it played out that way. They believe they have starting quality players in reserve.

Rich Hammond@Rich_Hammond
Darrell Williams, one of the Rams’ primary backups at offensive tackle, is limping around the field with a sleeve on one of his knees.

Bounce-back day for the Rams’ offense, which looked a bit out of sync yesterday. Tight ends look particularly good. Lamarcus Joyner got some attention from a trainer a bit ago.

Downtown Rams@DowntownRams
Blake Countess is working at safety with the first team while Joyner recovers from an undisclosed injury. #RamsCamp

DE Dominique Easley is walking among the players with a knee brace on. #RamsCamp

UDFA QB Luis Perez is working with the Tight Ends while the rest of the QBs work with the receivers.

Third round pick, OT Joseph Noteboom, is playing right tackle on the second team offense, his footwork looks good playing against the starting defense.

Vincent Bonsignore@DailyNewsVinny
DT/DE John Franklin-Meyers getting run with the #Rans 1st team defense in 11 on 11 and showing a nice burst off the edge

Downtown Rams@DowntownRams
Rookie LB Travin Howard and LB Garrett Sickels got some first-team snaps as well.

Ramik Wilson and Cory Littleton working as the starting middle linebackers today #RamsCamp

Rich Hammond@Rich_Hammond
Rams’ offense had to run sprints at the end of practice after losing a competition to the defense. Andrew Whitworth, age 36, was out front. Sean McVay said, “That’s kind of par for the course for him. That’s why he’s ‘Old Faithful.’”

Ndamukong Suh said he’s looking forward to playing with Aaron Donald but hasn’t talked contracts with him. Suh: “He deserves more than I got, so I’ll leave it at that.” Suh signed for 6 years and $114 million with Miami in 2015.

==

Downtown Rams@DowntownRams
1. Receivers got the better of the cornerbacks today
2. John Franklin-Myers is a name to watch as he filled in for Donald on the D-line

First team defense is shutting down the first team offense. The pass rush is fast and the coverage is tight. Get hyped. #RamsCamp

Goff just dropped a 50 yard bomb to Cooks in the End Zone #RamsCamp

10 Observations from Day 2 of Training Camp

Myles Simmons

https://www.therams.com/news/10-observations-from-day-2-of-training-camp

1) Friday’s session was closed to Rams season ticket holders, but Crawford Field at UC Irvine was still packed. There was plenty of energy following the big announcement that Los Angeles has changed its primary “color” uniform to the iconic royal blue and yellow for the next two seasons.
2) Rams Hall of Fame offensive tackle Jackie Slater was in attendance for Friday’s practice. He spent some time talking with the defensive linemen before the session began, particularly defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. “It’s great, obviously, to have them around, be able to pick their brains, be able to talk to them, interact with them,” Suh would say of the interaction after practice.
3) With such a large crowd, fans got audibly excited when quarterback Jared Goff hit wide receiver Brandin Cooks with a deep pass down the left sideline. It was a nice ball, but it should’ve been — the offense was going against air. Those are the plays that should work, and in this case they did.
4) The defensive line spent a good portion of individual drills practicing ripping the ball out from a ballcarrier. Players partnered up, with one playing the part of running back with the other tasked to create a takeaway running up from behind. On one of Suh’s reps, he punched the ball out so hard that it landed in a hospitality tent. Sources say Suh is a pretty strong guy.
5) During one-on-one drills, cornerback Kevin Peterson nearly picked off quarterback Sean Mannion on a short out route. Peterson read the route perfectly and got his hands on the ball, but just didn’t complete the catch.
6) Also in one-on-ones, wide receiver Robert Woods made a nice move to shake cornerback Marcus Peters and then made a nice catch in the middle of the field. That’s not easy to do with an elite man coverage player like Peters.
7) Later in the session, Goff connected with tight end Gerald Everett on a ball deep over the middle. Everett had to stretch out to make the catch, which was fit into a tight window to evade double coverage. Everett has flashed a bit over the first two days of camp, making a number of receptions on the first- and second-team offense.

8) During 11-on-11, Cooks made a nice catch over the middle that also drew some cheers from the crowd. This one was a bit more impressive since Cooks had some competition aside from the air — Peters was draped all over him. An “iron sharpens iron” situation, to be sure.
9) Head coach Sean McVay is known for using different tempos to try to keep a defense off guard. With that in mind, the offense did get in some no-huddle work during the second 11-on-11 segment of the day. Goff connected with wideout Robert Woods on a deep crossing route for what would’ve been at least a 20-yard gain.
10) Finally, linebacker Ramik Wilson has flashed over the first two days, consistently getting his hands on the ball. On Friday, Wilson nearly picked off two passes in the flat during separate 11-on-11 drills. Wilson has received the bulk of playing time at inside linebacker alongside linebacker Cory Littleton early in camp.

Practice Report 7/27: Defense Runs the Offense

Clarence Dennis

https://www.therams.com/news/practice-report-7-27-defense-runs-the-offense-wade-phillips-is-the-man

The newly covered bleachers surrounding the UC Irvine practice fields were nearly full of Rams season ticket holders, who were invited to an exclusive practice on Friday. One-on-one matchups and 7-on-7 action yielded several “oohs” and “aahs” from the Rams most faithful.
Practice ended with a bit of a competition between head coach Sean McVay’s offense and defensive coordinator Wade Phillips’ star-studded defense, in which both the offensive and defensive first and second units faced off in a small situational scrimmage.
Just yesterday, quarterback Jared Goff said he was “excited” to face the Rams’ new and improved defense on a daily basis. And on Friday, the defense came out on top.
Fans applauded McVay’s offense as it paid the price of losing the friendly competition — one cross-field ‘gasser’ (which was lead by veteran offensive lineman Andrew Whitworth). McVay’s offense couldn’t get the job done under defensive pressure and quick pass-game coverage, highlighted by the Rams’ (physically) largest addition on defense, defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, who made an impression on McVay.
“We finished up with some competitive, kind of unscripted stuff and I thought it was a good back and forth. Defensively, you could feel Ndamukong — his presence up front with some good rushes,” McVay said. “I thought our back-end was contesting throws, making things difficult… it’s exciting seeing those guys compete against each other.”

Suh, who happily went over the pronunciation of his first name with newly acquainted reporters after practice, said he’s “enjoyed” his time learning a new defense and “believes the sky’s the limit” for his group if they come together as a unit.
“I think at the end of the day we’ve got a lot of talent, but talent means nothing if you’re not going to put it together, it’s as simple as that,” Suh said.

VETS WILL GO EASY ON DAY 3

Both McVay and Talib confirmed high energy entering the first day of practice on Thursday. On Friday, the energy at practice seemed a bit lower, with higher temperatures and less of a breeze in Irvine.
McVay said shortly after practice that he expects Saturday to be a bit easier on many of his veteran guys, as this is the most football played in a while and he’d like to avoid “wearing guys out” early on.
“That’s the plan. Plans are pads on Sunday. We anticipate a little bit of a de-load day tomorrow. Kind of our third day in a row, we’ll give some of the veteran guys a little less work. They’ll get a majority of their work in the walk-thru. Day 4 will really represent a chance for us to ramp it back up again,” McVay said.

Jared Goff and Robert Woods connection draws cheers from a packed crowd at Rams training camp camp. pic.twitter.com/e0FDeDo3nC

— Lindsey Thiry (@LindseyThiry) July 28, 2018

Lindsey Thiry@LindseyThiry

Day 3 of Rams training camp and again, it’s Jared Goff and Brandin Cooks who continue to impress. Goff connected with Cooks on a deep pass for a touchdown in seven-on-seven, then in team play they connected on two-of-three deep balls. The miss came on play-action deep over the middle, the ball fell inches beyond Cooks’ reach at the goal line.

Rich Hammond@Rich_Hammond
Rams center John Sullivan walking to the locker room during practice.

Lindsey Thiry@LindseyThiry
Rams center John Sullivan left, and has now returned, to the field. The training staff/doctor appears to be examining his arm. Doesn’t appear he’ll return to practice

With John Sullivan now out of practice, Austin Blythe has taken over at center.

Downtown Rams@DowntownRams
Sullivan is leaving the facility in street clothes accompanied by a trainer.

===

vcsjoecurley

Not saying they’ll contribute right away, but I liked the way Micah Kiser, Justin Lawler and John Franklin-Myers looked in OTAs and minicamp. Also Temarrick Hemingway has a shot to carve out a nice role for himself as the backup at the Y.

I’m also going to watch closely how Josh Reynolds works to get targets, how specifically coach Phillips is going to use those DLs and what the secondary depth looks like.

==

Downtown Rams@DowntownRams
Defense working with the TE’s early on here at Camp. Getting used to blocking and hitting with first day of pads.

Running backs are working on catching with the QBs. Gurley looks fast and catching with his hands #RamsCamp

Omarius Bryant showing lots of power in his moves, working on his positioning at the point of attack.

Omarius Bryant showing lots of power in his moves, working on his positioning at the point of attack.

First team drills in pads start with first team defense vs second team defense

After some initial success, the offense is struggling to run the ball in 11-on-11 drills #RamsCamp

Camp getting physical! Everett being pulled out of bounds by Hager! Intensity is up!

Former Tennessee RB John Kelly just made a sick cut over the right side to take it to the house #RamsCamp

Goff throws a TD to Kupp in red zone drills with big cheers from the crowd #RamsCamp

Goff to WR Mike Thomas for the TD in 11-11 red zone period and then another one to TE Everett coming across the back of the end zone #RamsCamp

Goff hits Cooks on a slant for a juggling catch and run #RamsCamp

Gurley just ran away from defenders on a trap play #RamsCamp

Goff hits Kupp on a 20 yard crosser against the first team defense #RamsCamp

Vincent Bonsignore@DailyNewsVinny
Today was the first time #Rams CB Sam Shields has been in full pads since 9/11/16, He’s been an early hit in training camp although he said he’s still in the process of getting re-acclimated. If he stays healthy, he really lengthens an already deep CB group.

==

Gary Klein@LATimesklein
Greg Zuerlein makes 5 of 6 FG attempts. Looks plenty strong.

10 Observations from Day 4 of Training Camp

Myles Simmons

https://www.therams.com/news/10-observations-from-day-4-of-training-camp

1) Pads.
The Rams went through their first padded practice of the year on Sunday afternoon, which brought up the energy for the fourth consecutive day of practice. Football season always starts to actually feel like it’s approaching when you can hear the sound of pads popping on the field.
2) During the individual portion of practice, wide receiver Robert Woods made a nice catch on the left sideline on a pass from quarterback Jared Goff. It was one of those plays where the catch was made against air, so take it with a grain of salt. But it was still a nice display of Woods’ soft hands and athleticism.

3) After individual drills, Los Angeles moved on to half-field drills with the offense and defense going against one another. The first play was a 4-on-3 scenario, with Goff hitting running back Todd Gurley deep down the seam with what would’ve been a touchdown pass.
4) Los Angeles had the starting defense up first in 11-on-11 drills and safety John Johnson had the first pad-popping hit of camp. The safety came up and had a nice thud on running back Justin Davis to stuff a run.
5) Safety Isaiah Johnson also had a nice thud early on in team drills. He came up to hit tight end Gerald Everett, who caught a pass in the flat from quarterback Brandon Allen off of play action. Johnson was right there to make a play for what would’ve been a tackle for loss.
6) Cory Littleton appears to be developing well into his role of middle linebacker and defensive signal-caller. He crashed down hard inside to hit an inside blocking tight end during 11-on-11 drills, disrupting a run. And a few plays later, he set the edge well on the defense’s right, forcing an end around to cut back inside where another defensive player was waiting for a thud.

7) Later in practice, Everett made an outstanding catch in the end zone for a touchdown. The tight end went up over a defensive player to make the catch at the front corner of the end zone, using his strong hands to pull the ball in. He secured the ball, maintaining possession as he also got two feet in for a touchdown. The pass came from Allen.
8) During a two-minute drill, cornerback Marcus Peters nearly intercepted Goff in a ones-vs-ones situation. With Goff facing some pressure while releasing a pass, Peters jumped a route, got his hands on the ball at a high point, but couldn’t reel it in as he came back to the ground. As head coach Sean McVay often says, Peters is certainly someone whose presence the offense can feel on a play-to-play basis.
9) Goff, however, did connect with wide receiver Cooper Kupp on a pass in the middle of the field to end that segment of practice. Goff did well to step up in the pocket and hit Kupp coming out of his break on his route over the middle. The way the field was set up at the time, the play likely would’ve ended as a touchdown.

10) Finally, cornerback Kevin Peterson — now sporting No. 25 — made a pair of strong plays, one of which came at the end of practice. Earlier in the session, he nearly intercepted Allen on a pass in 11-on-11. He had nice coverage on his receiver on the defense’s right, leapt, and got his hands on the ball. He just couldn’t reel it in.
He got his interception later, though, making a pick six to end a period. Peterson undercut a route, made the pick on the defense’s left sideline, and had no one in his path on the way to the end zone. It was a nice practice for the Oklahoma State product who intercepted a pair of passes in Week 17 last year.

Lindsey Thiry@LindseyThiry

Outside linebacker Matt Longacre has shown some progress since undergoing season-ending back surgery last December. Longacre participated in individual drills through the first two days of training camp, then took part in four plays of team work on Saturday and six on Sunday. Longacre, who had 5 1/2 sacks as a backup last season, is competing for the starting spot opposite of Samson Ebukam.

10 Observations from Day 5 of Training Camp

Myles Simmons

https://www.therams.com/news/10-observations-from-day-5-of-training-camp

1) Before the first whistle of practice officially blew, punter Johnny Hekker was on the field practicing working on directional kicks to both the right and left sideline. The accuracy and precision with which he was punting the ball to equipment assistants 40-to-50 yards downfield was fairly remarkable — though not entirely surprising from the four-time first-team All-Pro.
2) Center John Sullivan was back in pads for Monday’s practice. He left Sunday’s session with trainers after sustaining a minor arm injury. Head coach Sean McVay did say following Sunday’s practice that he thought Sullivan would be OK. Sullivan’s presence on the line is a key factor in Los Angeles’ offensive success.

3) During individual drills, linebackers worked on securing tipped passes for interceptions. Linebackers coach Joe Barry would toss a pass for assistant linebackers coach Chris Shula to tip in the air about five-to-six-yards away. After the deflection, each linebacker would have to catch the pass for a pick.
4) Also in individual drills, cornerbacks worked on jamming receivers in the red zone. Each corner would line up opposite another in his group posing as a wide receiver. The corner would then have to get his hands on the receiver off the line and react to where a popular goal-line route was going. As one might expect, veteran cornerback Aqib Talib excelled at this particular drill — expertly reading the movements of younger DBs.
5) That particular cornerbacks drill is relevant because Los Angeles practiced red zone one-on-ones with quarterbacks, wide receivers, and cornerbacks. Notably from the period…
Talib performed well covering wide receiver Robert Woods, blanketing him in coverage to force quarterback Jared Goff into some uncomfortable throws.
Wide receiver Mike Thomas made an outstanding catch on the offense’s left. Goff delivered a back-shoulder throw, Thomas went up, secured the ball, and maintained possession and he hit the ground.
Cornerback Troy Hill and wide receiver Josh Reynolds had two decent battles. On their first rep, Hill batted away a fade route. On their second, Reynolds got the best of the matchup with a solid slant, catching a touchdown.

6) In a later 11-on-11 period, Goff and Woods connected for what would’ve been a touchdown pass down the seam on the left. Woods was wide open on the play, as there may have been a miscommunication from the scout-team defense.
7) Talib and fellow cornerback Marcus Peters are always communicating on the field. During one play in 11-on-11 drills against the first-team offense, wide receiver Brandin Cooks got behind the secondary and was open for what would’ve been a long touchdown reception. However, the pass was just a bit overthrown and ended up incomplete. Nevertheless, Talib and Peters stayed in conversation all the way to the sideline to dissect exactly what went wrong, correcting it for the next play.
8) In a red-zone 11-on-11 period, Goff hit running back Todd Gurley over the middle for a touchdown pass. Not that there was any reason to expect something different, but it’s clear that Gurley will once again be a significant part of Los Angeles’ passing game in 2018.
JL8_2244
9) Kicker Greg Zuerlein nailed all six of his attempted field goals on Monday, with the longest coming from 50-yards out. Special teams coordinator John Fassel said following practice that Zuerlein is “full go” after the back injury that landed him on injured reserve late in 2017. Fassel added that Zuerlein is likely “feeling as good as he has in years.”
10) After five straight days of practices, McVay shortened the length of Monday’s session and used the day’s last period to give younger players time for more 11-on-11 work. These plays didn’t quite feature “live” tackling, but the thudding was noticeable as players were probably trying to make a strong impression before the preseason games even begin.