Wagoner: Rams still working to finalize Los Angeles plans

Rams still working to finalize Los Angeles plans

Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/26975/rams-still-working-to-finalize-los-angeles-plans

EARTH CITY, Mo. — The Los Angeles Rams have a little more than a month before they pack up and head west to their new (old) home.

While they haven’t finalized everything yet, they are much closer to knowing where, exactly, they will be moving to within the Los Angeles area. As it turns out, the Rams probably will have multiple temporary homes this year before building a permanent training facility to complement the opening of the new Inglewood stadium in 2019.

As we’ve reported since right after the decision on relocation was rendered, the first temporary home is all but certain to be Oxnard, California. The Rams practiced with the Dallas Cowboys in Oxnard, which is about 65 miles north of Los Angeles, last summer and are already familiar with the facilities. The tentative plan is for the Rams to hold all of their offseason program there. That includes the start of the offseason conditioning program (set to begin April 18), the draft, any minicamps and organized team activities. The Rams would then vacate the space for the Cowboys when they come for training camp.

After the offseason program is over, the Rams would then be in the market for a home for their own training camp. It’s possible they could spend a few days with the Cowboys again in Oxnard but they want to have a place for fans to come and watch practice, which means landing on a bigger college campus. Chances are good that the UC Irvine in Orange County ultimately will be the destination. The Rams have also discussed Cal-Lutheran in Thousand Oaks as an option but as it stands, UC Irvine is probably the best bet.

When training camp is over, the Rams will then need to find another temporary solution for training during the season. This is the least certain of the venues, but the Rams continue to focus this search on areas north of Los Angeles but south of Oxnard. Cal-Lutheran and Pierce College in Woodland Hills are among the sites that are being considered.

So where does that leave the hunt for a permanent facility? As it stands, the Rams are not believed to have the land secured or an exact spot picked out. But one thing to remember is that they have a lot of players, coaches and employees who will be working in the area. It stands to reason that wherever they set up their temporary training facilities will be at least somewhat close to where they try to build their new facility. That way they wouldn’t have to worry about players, coaches and employees finding themselves in more difficult traffic situations or having to move multiple times after arriving in California. It’s possible, if not likely, that a permanent day-to-day home won’t be finished until 2018.

The Rams have to be out of St. Louis and Rams Park by the end of March. So they’ll likely have final decisions for 2016 made soon enough.