tweets … 8/8 & 8/9

Cameron DaSilva@camdasilva
Noteboom and Allen could get some playing time Saturday. Kiser and Joseph-Day definitely will, as will Bryce Hager

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Which players stood out at joint practice today?@JB_Long + @minakimes break it down from Napa! pic.twitter.com/vYNfnEmUPi

— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) August 8, 2019

The Athletic@TheAthleticLA

As part of a training-camp tour, @bylindsayhjones visited the Rams and Chargers. Here are her observations, including the Rams’ thoughts on Todd Gurley

From Irvine, with the Los Angeles Rams

1. Don’t expect to see any of Todd Gurley in the Rams’ four preseason games, and it became clear very quickly into training camp that we won’t see a ton of him during practices, either. The Rams have concocted a detailed plan to limit Gurley’s workload this camp. Generally, that plan includes alternating practice days with rest days, and it started from the first day of camp in Irvine and will continue through joint practice with the Raiders in Napa.

But there appear to be no limitations on Gurley on the days he is in uniform. He is a full participant in 11-on-11 drills, run drills, blitz pickup, and when he’s running, it does not look like the knee injury that sidelined him late last season has slowed him down. Wide receiver Robert Woods said that when the players sought out their max-speed data during the first weekend of camp, it was Gurley who hit 22 mph – the fastest of any of the skill position players.

The Rams consider this decreased workload part of their plan to maximize their investment in Gurley. A year after they signed Gurley to a four-year, $57.5 million contract, general manager Les Snead said he has no regrets about the size or timing of that contract. Gurley remains the NFL’s highest-paid running back, in both annual salary ($14.35 average per year) and total contract. His full deal is worth $5 million more than the contract Le’Veon Bell signed with the Jets in March, though Bell received more guaranteed money at signing ($27 million, to Gurley’s $21.95 million).

…

2. It’s been a unique camp for the Rams in that, for the first time in recent years, there is almost no contract drama. The Rams practiced all of training camp without Aaron Donald the past two years, but this year, there are no holdouts, with Donald, Gurley, wide receiver Brandin Cooks and offensive tackle Rob Havenstein all having received new contracts in the past year. Even head coach Sean McVay and Snead are settled, each receiving an extension in July.

The Rams have had contract talks with the agents for quarterback Jared Goff, who is heading into the fourth year of his rookie deal, and cornerback Marcus Peters, who is in the final year of his contract, but no deals appear imminent for either player.

…

3. This preseason is critical for the Rams’ coaching staff. After appearing to be one step ahead of most defensive coordinators last year, Sean McVay was outcoached by Bill Belichick in the Super Bowl. The Patriots held the Rams to just a field goal, in part by following a defensive blueprint established in December by Vic Fangio and the Bears. The Rams failed to adjust when the Patriots played primarily zone defense instead of man-to-man, and had few answers to solve the Patriots’ smothering run defense that consistently resulted in difficult third-down passing situations for Goff.

McVay said he would be using training camp, especially the four joint practices against the Chargers and Raiders, to work on making better in-game coaching adjustments.

“You can’t shy away from the things we didn’t do well last year, and some of the situations where I certainly could have put our players in a better spot,” McVay said. “So that’s a huge point of emphasis. If you’re afraid to look at the things that we didn’t do good enough, you’re kind of brushing it under the rug and inevitably it’s going to come back to haunt you.”

In April, Damon Sheehy-Guiseppi was sleeping outside and had to talk his way into a workout with the @Browns …

Tonight, he scored a TD in his first #NFLPreseason game and his teammates were hyped 🧡 (via @thecheckdown)pic.twitter.com/CO6R5vnktl

— ESPN (@espn) August 9, 2019

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Damon Sheehy-Guiseppi's pro journey

Crashed a workout in MIA
+ Ran a 4.38
+ Received invite to CLE tryout
+ Lived/slept in a 24-hr gym via guest passes
+ Charged phone in laundromat
+ ate 1-2x/day at random cookouts

= 85-yd return TD in 1st gm as a Brownpic.twitter.com/QO1dCWze1b

— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) August 9, 2019

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PFF's @PFF_Linsey compares team success in passing out of heavy sets versus lighter sets for offenses last year, and what advantages they have#Rams used lighter sets last year and found success. Read more about the case study over on the #PFF site:https://t.co/OmGQE8yKUc

— PFF LA Rams (@PFF_Rams) August 9, 2019

Agamemnon wrote:

Rams OLB Dante Fowler had standout day against the Raiders in combined practice. Fowler had at least four sacks…

The rest of that:

Lindsey Thiry@LindseyThiry
…. Fowler had at least four sacks, as he and Aaron Donald kept a constant presence in the backfield. “He’s doing great,” Donald said. “Making a lot of good plays and rushing the passer great.”

Glazer on Kupp. I cannot believe how fast that dude is after coming off ACL surgery.

Will0120

I can tell you from my personal experience coming back from two torn ACL’s. Your knee will almost never be as good as the nature intends it to be.

What you do get is a laser focused rehab regimen that forces you to focus on the poor mechanics that you may have just gotten by with before. This can translate to an athlete being more in tune with what he/she can or cannot do and how they can further develop their mechanics for long term health/productivity.

Do you get faster realistically? Highly unlikely. Do you get to develop better mechanics? Very likely.