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August 3, 2014 at 2:39 pm in reply to: Fisher, Bradford, Donald, Ogletree post-scrimmage – vids + transcripts #3177
RamBillParticipantAlec Ogletree talks to Casey Phillips about returning to the Edward Jones Dome, anticipating the season and his goals for the rest of training camp. (1:31)
http://www.rams-news.com/one-on-one-with-rams-lb-alec-ogletree-video/
RamBillParticipantRams managing Bradford’s workload
By Nick Wagonerhttp://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/10138/rams-managing-bradfords-workload
EARTH CITY, Mo. — Thinking back to his time at the University of Oklahoma, St. Louis Rams quarterback Sam Bradford can’t recall being on any sort of plan to manage the number of throws he would make in a given day.
To Bradford’s recollection, the plan was to throw the ball “about 500” times then put some ice on his right arm after practice. Those days are long gone, especially now that he’s working to return from surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.
“He’s throwing very well,” coach Jeff Fisher said Saturday. “We’re watching the pitch counts right now, and he’s not having any problems and you can see those balls were humming today.
“We’re just watching and monitoring it. We’re going to make sure we don’t do too much.”
When Bradford returned to practice in the spring, he was noticeably bigger in his upper body thanks to a rehab in which he couldn’t work out much else. He intimated in the spring that he might have a stronger arm coming off the knee surgery.
So far, Bradford’s arm is certainly no worse for the wear despite getting plenty of work in practice. In fact, Bradford’s ball seems to be coming out with as much or more velocity than in years past. During Saturday’s practice, Bradford had plenty of zip on all of his passes, none more than the perfectly thrown 60-plus yard touchdown pass he threw to receiver Kenny Britt.
And those deep balls have become something of a training camp staple, especially in the past week with the pads on and the protection much-improved.
“Coming into this camp is probably the strongest I’ve been from the waist up and I think it probably has paid off a little bit,” Bradford said. “I feel like I do have a little more zip on the ball and feel like I can make some of those throws that maybe were a little slower last year.”
Of more pressing importance for Bradford is the recovery from his knee surgery. Bradford has looked healthy in every practice with the possible exception of a but of hesitation when he has to move out of the pocket and make a throw on the run.
The precise plan for Bradford in the preseason is unknown now but will gain clarity this week as the Rams open the exhibition schedule Friday night against New Orleans. Fisher has hinted that the Rams might be cautious with Bradford in the preseason games by limiting his snaps or potentially holding him out of games all together.
To this point, though, Bradford hasn’t had any issues that have kept him out or forced Fisher to back him down from any drills. If Fisher does opt to hold Bradford out against the Saints, Bradford says he’ll understand.
“It’s totally coach’s call,” Bradford said. “I’m going to be ready to go. If he tells me I’m playing, I’m going to be pumped to get back out on the field. If he feels like it’s best not to go out there Friday then I trust him and I’ll be ready to go the following week.”
Not that Bradford would mind getting back in the mix sooner than later. The true extent of where Bradford is physically and mentally won’t be known until he takes that first hit, a couple of close calls in early practices notwithstanding.
“I got hit the first day of training camp this year if you didn’t see that one so I kind of got that one out of the way,” Bradford said. “But there’s definitely a part of me that just wants to get back out there and just feel the speed of the game again, take that first hit and just prove to everyone else that I’m going to be fine more than myself. I know I’m going to be ready to go.”
August 3, 2014 at 10:54 am in reply to: Fisher, Bradford, Donald, Ogletree post-scrimmage – vids + transcripts #3166RamBillParticipantSam Bradford discusses the first week of training camp, his arm strength, and preparing for Friday’s preseason opener against the New Orleans Saints.
http://www.rams-news.com/rams-qb-sam-bradford-weve-had-a-really-good-first-week-video/
RamBillParticipantOver 15,000 Rams fans watched the Rams scrimmage at the Edward Jones Dome. The big crowd got to see the recovered Sam Bradford, now back and playing after his season ending knee injury during 2013. Includes a few plays from the practice and some comments from QB Sam Bradford.
http://www.rams-news.com/rams-scrimmage-at-edward-jones-dome-video/
August 3, 2014 at 10:22 am in reply to: Fisher, Bradford, Donald, Ogletree post-scrimmage – vids + transcripts #3159RamBillParticipantAaron Donald reflects on his first experience at the Edward Jones Dome, playing in front of fans and preparing for Friday’s game against the New Orleans Saints.
http://www.rams-news.com/rams-dt-aaron-donald-it-felt-like-a-game-video/
RamBillParticipantMorning Ram-blings: Honoring Aeneas
By Nick Wagonerhttp://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/10141/morning-ram-blings-honoring-aeneas
EARTH CITY, Mo. — Aeneas Williams spent the majority of his Hall of Fame career in relative anonymity at cornerback for the Arizona Cardinals.
But Williams’ impact on the St. Louis Rams at the end of his career left a lasting impression on the team and its fans. It’s an impact that is still felt in the St. Louis community where Williams makes his home today and serves as a pastor at a local church.
So while Cardinals fans had every reason to bask in the glow and celebrate Williams’ induction into the Hall of Fame on Saturday night, there was another fan base in St. Louis also cheering Williams.
With that in mind, I wanted to begin today’s Ram-blings with links to some stories and words about Williams.
First, I only had the privilege to cover Williams for one season, an injury plagued eason that would be his last in the NFL. But I will echo the sentiments of anyone who ever had the privilege to cover him: Williams is the class act of all class acts. It’s almost cliche to say someone is a better man than he was a player, but if cliches exist because they are true, Williams is the very definition of why that particular cliche exists. Every plaudit, every kind word you have read about Williams before and today is 100 percent genuine. Congratulations, Aeneas.
On to the links:
Cardinals reporter Josh Weinfuss offers this profile of Williams as he heads to Canton.
Weinfuss discusses Williams becoming the first Cardinal who played the bulk of his career in Arizona to go into the Hall of Fame.
Stltoday.com’s Bernie Miklasz offers his memories of Williams.
Jim Thomas explores Williams’ impact on the Rams defenses of the early 2000s.
And another from baseball writer Derrick Goold on Williams’ impact on his hometown of New Orleans.
FoxSportsMidwest.com writes that Williams is the epitome of a Hall of Famer.
The Times-Picayune, Williams’ hometown paper, takes us through Williams’ spiritual journey to the Hall of Fame.
There are many more great Williams tributes to be read out there, too many to list here. But just know that you won’t find a bad word about him. And though it might be hard to believe, just know that there aren’t because there simply aren’t any that would be true.
I.C.Y.M.I.
A roundup of Saturday’s Rams stories appearing on ESPN.com. … In the Ram-blings, we began the day with a look at fivethirtyeight.com’s study on the correlation between youth and success in the NFL. … Next, we previewed Saturday’s practice and scrimmage at the Rams’ annual fanfest. … Finally, we closed the day with a full report from the scrimmage with notes on players working back from injury and players dealing with new ailments of their own.
Elsewhere:
Also at stltoday.com, rookie linebacker Aaron Hill provides his weekly update on his progress as he tries to make the roster.
Joe Lyons provides his report on Saturday’s scrimmage.
At 101sports.com, coach Rick Venturi explains why the Rams’ defense could be tough to stop in 2014.
Scout.com’s Nate Latsch discusses the progress of receiver Brian Quick a week into camp.
RamBillParticipant
Rams notes: Locals Alexander, Hill enjoy first on-field action at Dome
• By Joe LyonsThe last time Maurice Alexander worked at the Edward Jones Dome, he was part of the cleaning crew. Saturday, he was there to practice with the Rams.
“It’s a blessing to be in this stadium again, with my family and friends watching me,” the rookie safety from Eureka High said following the FanFest workout at the Dome. “It’s just crazy being down here as a player. For me, it’s emotional because of the adversity and what I’ve been through and to have all these people here supporting me.
“It really is a dream come true.”
Early in 2012, while attending Utah State, Alexander was involved in a fight with a teammate following an off-campus party. As a result, Alexander pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of aggravated assault resulting from bodily injury and spent 45 days in a Utah jail.
“There was a lawsuit filed, and as a result the university suspended him for the 2012 season,” Rams coach Jeff Fisher said after the Rams selected Alexander with a fourth-round draft pick in May. “He came back here to St. Louis and worked at the Edward Jones Dome as a janitor, picked up, cleaned up after our ballgames for a year so he could financially pass the time before he was reinstated.”
Fisher and general manager Les Snead investigated the incident and also discussed it with Alexander during a pre-draft visit at Rams Park.
“He was very professional, very upfront, very honest,” Fisher said shortly after the draft. “We didn’t have a problem with it.”
Alexander, 23, returned to Utah State for the 2013 season and made the successful shift from linebacker to safety, contributing 80 tackles, 3 ½ sacks, six pass breakups and an interception. The 6-foot-1, 220-pound Alexander missed all but one practice in OTAs recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery but has been coming on strong in camp to earn some second-team reps.
“Wherever they need me, I’m there,” he said. “It’s football, man, the same as high school and college, just a different speed of the game. As a rookie, you’re going to make mistakes, but today I definitely feel like I took a step forward.”
Alexander wasn’t the only player with local ties to enjoy a solid FanFest workout. Linebacker Aaron Hill, an undrafted free agent from Lutheran St. Charles High and the University of Minnesota, had a big day Saturday, picking off a pass to end the two-minute drill and breaking through for what would’ve been a pair of sacks — one in a drill with the running backs and another in the “live” scrimmage that wrapped up practice.
“It’s my first time playing in the Dome, and I definitely enjoyed the experience,” the 23-year-old said. “Getting a chance to play for my hometown team and to do it in front of my family and friends, it was definitely special.”
And the big plays?
“In the two-minute, everybody on the defense did their job,” he said. Defensive coordinator “Gregg Williams made a great call, and we just executed, and we were able to score on defense to end the game.”
RAM-BLINGS
Saturday’s FanFest at the Edward Jones Dome drew a crowd of 15,723.
“This puts an exclamation point on a real good week of training camp practice,” Fisher said. “The players are always excited to come down for this event, particularly for the fan participation and the attendance. … I think the fans got to see a lot of good things today, as we did from a coaching standpoint.
“A lot of big plays down the field. If there’s any question about (Sam Bradford’s) ability to play the position, I think it was answered here, at least early in camp. Some great throws today.”
Some other highlights:
• While warming up, Greg Zuerlein booted a 63-yard field goal that bounced off the cross bar and through. Later, after coming up short on a 65-yarder, the crowd cheered for another try. But that, too, came up short.
• Rookie running back Tre Mason received the bulk of the work in the live session to wrap up practice. The third-round draft choice has shown excellent quickness and cutback ability. He and returning starter Zac Stacy seem to complement each other.
• The list of players not practicing Saturday was longer than usual, no doubt to give them back-to-back days off before training camp resumes on Monday. That 3:30 p.m. practice will be free and open to the public.
Not taking part in the FanFest workout were linebacker James Laurinaitis, defensive end William Hayes, cornerback Janoris Jenkins, receiver Brian Quick, guard Rodger Saffold, center/guard Barrett Jones, cornerback Lamarcus Joyner, guard Brandon Washington, safety Christian Bryant, cornerback Jarrid Bryant, linebacker Johnny Millard, running back Trey Watts, fullback Kadeem Jones, and linebacker Pat Schiller.
Defensive tackle Michael Brockers appeared to suffer a foot/ankle injury Saturday, but it didn’t appear serious.
• NFL Network host Andrew Siciliano, the preseason television voice of the Rams, was on hand to get a look at the team Saturday. The Rams open the preseason at home Friday, taking on the New Orleans Saints at 7 p.m. at the Edward Jones Dome.
RamBillParticipant
Ram FanFest Recap: Bradford Shows OffBy Myles Simmons Rams Insider
The third annual Rams Fan Fest went off without a hitch Saturday afternoon, with food, fun, and football for the entire family.
Thousands of fans — including competitive eating champion Takeru Kobayashi — attended the practice and scrimmage at the Edward Jones Dome, providing a small taste of what it will be like when the home team takes the field against the Saints on Friday.
ZIPPING IT IN
Much like the rest of camp, quarterback Sam Bradford had a strong day tossing the ball around the home turf. In early 11-on-11 action, Bradford had multiple down-field completions to a bevy of different receivers. Not only were the passes accurate, but they also carried good velocity.
“You could see, those balls were humming today, especially the deep ball to Kenny [Britt],” Head Coach Jeff Fisher said. “If there’s any question about Sam’s ability to play the position, I think they were answered today.”
One explanation for the speed increase stems from Bradford’s season-ending injury last year. With his lower body limited after tearing his ACL, the quarterback had more opportunities to work on upper-body strength.
“Coming into this camp is probably the strongest I’ve been from the waist up,” Bradford said. “I think it probably has paid off a little bit. I feel like I do have a little more zip on the ball, and I feel like I can make some of those throws that maybe were a little slower last year.”
Bradford looked good throwing to all of his receivers on Saturday, but his rapport with wideout Stedman Bailey was particularly notable. Bailey was all over the field making plays, much like he has been all week. The third-year pro will miss the first four games of the regular season for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing substances, but the team is making sure he’ll fit right into the game plan for Week 5.
“He’s a very smart receiver. He’s always in the right place,” Bradford said of Bailey. “Obviously, it’s a bummer that he’s not going to be with us for the first four. But when he comes back, the timing and everything we’re doing right now is to make sure we’re ready.”
Bradford’s chemistry extends not just to Bailey, but also to all of his receivers. Fisher pointed out the quarterback’s deep ball to Britt as one of Saturday’s highlights, but Bradford completed plenty of passes to Tavon Austin as well. Calling this group of receivers the most talented he’s worked with in St. Louis, Bradford said developing good chemistry takes a lot of work — like catching against air in order to better understand where players will be against certain looks.
“I think it was big this spring, we put a lot of time into just throwing routes,” Bradford said. “And I think it’s paid off for us during the early part of training camp.”
Though he hasn’t faced any live action since suffering his injury last fall, Bradford said he’s not itching to play only to get hit for the first time.
“There’s definitely a part of me that just wants to get back out there and just feel the speed of the game again,” Bradford said. “Take that first hit, and probably prove to everyone else that I’m going to be fine more than myself. I know I’m going to be ready to go.”
Fisher has yet to announce how much — if at all — Bradford will play against the Saints next week. But when Bradford does finally take the field, he will have had the requisite reps to be successful.
DONALD’S IMPACT
If you haven’t heard the hype surrounding defensive tackle Aaron Donald, where in the world have you been?
One reason why everyone has been touting the rookie was on display Saturday afternoon. During a team goal-line drill, Donald burst through the offensive line to make a big hit and stop the running back behind the line. The crowd was audibly impressed, and Fisher said a play like that could become routine.
“You see Donald made a big play, which you expect out of him at the goal line,” Fisher said.
Donald said he feels like things are going well for him, but he’s not sure if he has completely adjusted to the speed of the NFL.
“I haven’t played a game yet, so I can’t tell you that yet,” Donald said. “But when I get out there and play some games, and get a feel for the game, I’ll let you know that.”
Though there is a ton of excitement about Donald and his potential, he said it has not become a distraction.
“I know I have a lot more to prove, so I can’t let it get to me,” Donald said. “I’m starting from scratch again. I’m a rookie again. I haven’t made a tackle, haven’t made a sack, so I’ve got to earn that. I’m just staying focused on what I’ve got to do and continuing to work on my craft.”
Adding this talented, hard-working rookie to the Rams’ defensive line should only pay positive dividends in 2014.
LEFTOVERS
…There were 15,723 fans in attendance at the third annual Rams Fan Fest, and players were appreciative of the effort folks made to come out and support them.
“This is probably the most exciting day we have in training camp,” Bradford said. “I thought the energy was good today. It’s always good to get in here and play in front of our fans.”
…While Bradford has been wearing a knee brace since college, the quarterback said the rest of the Rams QBs would now sport them now as well. He’s used to feeling the extra protection, but his fellow signal callers are not.
“It’s funny, all the other quarterbacks have to wear them now, too, and they kind of complain,” Bradford said. “But I’m like, if you wear them for a while, it kind of goes away.”
UP NEXT
The Rams have a day off on Sunday before getting back to business with a practice open to the public on Monday at 3:30 p.m
RamBillParticipantBradford pleased with Rams offense
Nate Latschhttp://stl.scout.com/story/1428893-bradford-pleased-with-rams-offense?s=124
ST. LOUIS — Sam Bradford is pleased with how the Rams offense has progressed so far through the first week of training camp and the 15,723 fans who showed up on Saturday for the team’s FanFest at the Edward Jones Dome got a sneak peak at how it looks.
“It was a pretty productive day,” the quarterback said following the team’s practice session. “To be honest I think we’ve had a really good first week as an offense. We’ve pushed the ball down the field. Those guys on the perimeter are playing great right now, making a lot of plays for us and it’s always a good thing to see from my end.”The wide receiver group has been one of the biggest surprises in camp so far, with newcomer Kenny Britt joining returnees like Brian Quick, Tavon Austin, Chris Givens and Stedman Bailey and each of those players stepping up and making plays through the Rams’ first eight practice sessions.
“I think this is probably the deepest group we’ve had since I’ve been here, the most talented group we’ve had since I’ve been here,” Bradford said. “I think they’ve shown it. We rotate five or six guys in there with the ones and you really don’t notice a drop-off no matter who’s in there. To have the ability to do that and move guys from position to position, I think that’s going to be a big advantage for us.”
Bradford has been so sound in his return from the ACL injury that ended his 2013 season that any questions about his effectiveness at the beginning of the regular season have been already effectively answered.
“If there’s any question about Sam’s ability to play the position, I think it was answered today, at least early here in camp,” Rams coach Jeff Fisher said. “He’s really had a good week of camp. Some great throws today.”
The Heisman Trophy winner and former No. 1 overall pick has looked good and in some cases even stronger than he was before the injury.
Bradford said Saturday that the upper-body training he did since his injury has helped him feel stronger than he’s been in his first three seasons.
“Obviously if you go back to the time of the injury, you spend more time working on your upper body just because you’re limited as to what you can do with your lower body,” he said. “So coming into this camp it’s probably the strongest I’ve been from the waist up and I think it probably has paid off a little bit. I feel like I do have a little more zip on the ball and I feel like I can make some of those throws that maybe were a little slower last year.”
The offense has been helped in recent days by the returns of left tackle Jake Long and center Scott Wells from injury, though the offensive line lost right guard Rodger Saffold when he left Friday’s practice with an undisclosed upper-body injury.
Saffold did not participate in Saturday’s session but he is expected to return to practice soon.
The Rams’ passing game has been one of highlights of training camp so far, but the team knows that the running game should once again be one of the strengths this season like it was a year ago when rookie Zac Stacy emerged as the go-to guy in the backfield.
Bradford is happy with what he’s seen so far.
“I’m really pleased with where the offense is right now with some of the things we’ve done early in camp,” Bradford said. “I think going into next week a big part of our plan is going to be attention to detail. I think we’ve had the bulk of our install. We’ve put in most of the playbook. Next week is going to be more of a review and making sure we clean up some of the mistakes we had this week.”
RamBillParticipant
Rams report: FanFest at Dome draws better than 15,000 fans
• By Joe LyonsThe Rams put on another strong FanFest event Saturday afternoon, drawing 15,723 fans to the Edward Jones Dome.
Shifting from Rams Park in Earth City, the team went through a regular practice session and added a live scrimmage featuring some of the squad’s younger players.
“This puts an exclamation point on a real good week of training camp practice,” Rams coach Jeff Fisher said. “The players are always excited to come down for this event, particularly for the fan participation and the attendance…. I think the fans got to see a lot of good things today, as we did from a coaching standpoint.
“A lot of big plays down the field. If there’s any question about Sam’s ability to play the position, I think it was answered here, at least early in camp. Some great throws today.”
Bradford, who seems to have a little extra zip on the ball these days, on a long pass down the left side to Kenny Britt for a 65-yard touchdown in 11-on-11 and hooked up frequently with second-year wideout Stedman Bailey on Saturday.
Bailey, unfortunately, will not be available at the start of the season while serving a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing drug policy.
“Not only ‘Sted’, but all of the receivers are having a good camp,” Fisher said. “’Sted’ had a really good day; he knows how to get open and knows how to make plays.
“We’re going to miss him, but he’ll push right through camp and we’ll get through his ordeal and right back into the lineup.”
Some other highlights from Saturday’s FanFest:
• Warming up, Greg Zuerlein booted a 63-yard field goal that went through off the cross bar. Later, after coming up short on a 65-yarder, the crowd cheered for another try. But that, too, came up short.
• Rookie Tre Mason received the bulk of the work in the ‘live’ session to wrap up practice. The third-round draft choice has shown excellent quickness and cutback ability and should provide an excellent backfield complement to Zac Stacy.
• Aaron Hill, a free agent rookie linebacker from Lutheran St. Charles High and the University of Minnesota, had a memorable practice Saturday. In addition to picking off a pass for what would’ve been a touchdown to close out the two-minute drill, he was in position for at least a couple of sacks _ one during the linebackers’ one-on-one drill with the running backs and another in the ‘live’ scrimmage.
RAM-BLINGS
List of players not practicing Saturday was longer than usual, no doubt to give them back-to-back days off before training camp resumes on Monday. That 3:30 p.m. practice will be free and open to the public.
Not taking part in the FanFest workout were linebacker James Laurinaitis, defensive end William Hayes, cornerback Janoris Jenkins, receiver Brian Quick, guard Rodger Saffold, center/guard Barrett Jones, cornerback Lamarcus Joyner, guard Brandon Washington, safety Christian Bryant, cornerback Jarrid Bryant, linebacker Johnny Millard, running back Trey Watts, fullback Kadeem Jones and linebacker Pat Schiller.
Defensive tackle Michael Brockers appeared to suffer a foot/ankle injury Saturday, but it didn’t appear serious.
• NFL Network host Andrew Siciliano, the preseason television voice of the Rams, was on hand to get a look at the team Saturday. The Rams open the preseason Friday, taking on the New Orleans Saints in 7 p.m. game at the Edward Jones Dome.
RamBillParticipantRams Camp Report: Day 8
By Nick Wagonerhttp://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/10128/rams-camp-report-day-8
ST. LOUIS — A daily review of the hot topics coming out of St. Louis Rams training camp:
The Rams held their annual scrimmage Saturday, coming out in full pads for the first time. While none of the principals competed in any live drills, the first-team offense and defense did match up for some extended team drills. They spent those drills working at “thud” tempo with the defense making contact with the shoulder pads but with no live tackling. The first-team offense continued to show signs of life in the early live drills, with quarterback Sam Bradford and receiver Stedman Bailey hooking up for big gains twice in as many snaps. Bailey had a big day in general, catching about 10 passes during live drills and seven on seven. Bradford later connected with Kenny Britt for a long touchdown on a perfectly thrown deep ball. But when the drill moved closer to the goal line, the defense stood tall and kept the offense out of the end zone on consecutive handoffs from the 2.
At the end of the practice, the Rams did some live scrimmaging using primarily backups and rookies vying for roster spots. There were a few notable exceptions, though. Greg Robinson (left tackle), Aaron Donald (defensive tackle) and running back Tre Mason took some reps during the live portion.
One area worth watching in this camp is the development of the tight ends and running backs in blitz pickup. The running backs, in particular, don’t have much experience in blitz pickup. When those groups took on the linebackers in the one-on-one drills, the decided advantage went to the linebackers again. Presumptive starter Zac Stacy is coming along in that regard, but there is still a lot of work to be done. The tight ends had a little more success, with Cook actually getting a couple of good reps in. And another player to keep an eye on is undrafted free agent Alex Bayer. Bayer seems to be technically sound as a blocker and could emerge as a strong candidate to win a potential fourth tight end spot on the roster. The flip side, of course, is the linebackers’ success. Alec Ogletree was especially impressive in those drills. Gregg Williams should be able to have some fun with Ogletree behind this defensive line.
We haven’t had any full-blown fights in this camp, but a mini-scuffle broke out during the aforementioned linebacker-running back drills. Running back Benny Cunningham and linebacker Ray-Ray Armstrong exchanged shoves and words before being separated.
The Rams took some precautions with their many banged-up players but at least so far it doesn’t seem they have any serious issues. Defensive tackle Michael Brockers left practice a bit early Friday after tweaking an ankle and returned Saturday only to depart when shaken up again. The Rams might just have to be cautious with him moving forward to ensure he doesn’t make it worse, but it doesn’t sound serious. Linebacker James Laurinaitis came out with a walking boot on his left foot after getting stepped on earlier in the week. The injury isn’t believed to be more than a mild ankle sprain, though. Offensive lineman Rodger Saffold also left Friday’s practice with an apparent hand/wrist injury. He did not practice Saturday and watched from the sidelines with no cast or wrap on his hand. Like Brockers, Saffold’s injury isn’t believed serious. Other notables not practicing: Cornerbacks Lamarcus Joyner and Janoris Jenkins, offensive lineman Barrett Jones, defensive lineman William Hayes and receiver Brian Quick.
Funniest moment of the day: Backup quarterback Shaun Hill took a snap and as he dropped to hand it off, tripped over his own foot into a head first somersault, with jeers and laughs from his teammates.
The Rams are off Sunday and will return to practice Monday at 4:30 p.m. ET at Rams Park.
August 2, 2014 at 12:32 pm in reply to: Fisher, Schottenheimer, Williams (Aug 1) – vids & transcripts #3084RamBillParticipantSt. Louis Rams offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer discusses the first week of training camp, Brian Quick’s progress and more.
http://www.rams-news.com/rams-oc-brian-schottenheimer-were-playing-fast-video/
RamBillParticipantMorning Ram-blings: Value of youth?
By Nick Wagonerhttp://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/10108/morning-ram-blings-value-of-youth
EARTH CITY, Mo. — The St. Louis Rams have been the youngest team in the league for two seasons in a row. They very well could hold that title again this year.
And in each of those seasons, much of that young talent has had ample opportunity to gain experience through playing time. The team’s hope is that having “experienced youth” will pay off in the form of consistent winning.
But earlier this week, the fine folks at sister site fivethirtyeight.com took a closer look at what youth can do for a football team exactly. While the sample size of the study which combined information from the aforementioned site as well as Football Outsiders isn’t all that extensive, the conclusions drawn from it appear to put a limit on correlation between age and winning.
In other words, just because the Rams are young and appear to be teeming with potential doesn’t mean that production is going to pan out. That’s not groundbreaking information, as players in this league succeed or fail for many different reasons, but it’s worth noting when evaluating where this franchise is headed.
Only the results on the field will tell us whether the youth movement in St. Louis will bear fruit.
I.C.Y.M.I.
A roundup of Friday’s Rams stories appearing on ESPN.com. … We began the day with a small departure from the normal schedule with the news that offensive tackle Jake Long has begun taking repetitions with the first-team offense. … In the Ram-blings, we started the day with a look at the league’s efforts to add player tracking to get more details statistics on speed, player movement, and more. … Next, we caught up on how the offense is benefiting from the addition of pads and starting to get traction in practices. … From there, we examined the offseason of surgeries for defensive end William Hayes and his efforts to return to action. … Finally, we closed the work week with Friday’s camp report.
Elsewhere:
Our team of 32 reporters offered 32 early observations on each team’s highest-drafted rookie.
Seattle running back Marshawn Lynch returned to the fold but apparently was hoping to cash in further before he did.
At stltoday.com, Jim Thomas offers his take on Long’s return.
Thomas also caught up with soon-to-be Hall of Famer Aeneas Williams.
Joe Lyons examines the early work of cornerback Brandon McGee as he enters his second season.
August 2, 2014 at 1:36 am in reply to: Hall of Fame profile: Aeneas Williams … + Thomas on Wms #3064RamBillParticipantWilliams trade highlighted defensive overhaul in 2001
• By Jim ThomasIn the spring of 2001, the number “471” on the greaseboard in the Rams’ draft room said it all. That’s how many points the Rams had allowed the previous season. Not only was it an NFL high for the 2000 campaign, at the time it was the seventh-highest total in league history.
Just one year after the Super Bowl XXXIV title, the Rams’ defense hit a wall in 2000 and collapsed. Several veterans on that side of the ball were aging. Disgruntled over his contract status, defensive end Kevin Carter was traded to Tennessee in March 2001. Defensive tackle D’Marco Farr’s knees were all but shot.
So under the direction of coach Mike Martz, general manager Charley Armey and president of football operations Jay Zygmunt, the Rams underwent a massive defensive overhaul. It began with the hiring of defensive coordinator Lovie Smith, continued with several free-agent additions and reached a crescendo on draft weekend when the team’s first five draft picks – including three first-rounders – were defensive players.
But the cherry on top came on the morning of the first day of the draft, when the Rams executed a sign-and-trade deal with the Arizona Cardinals for Hall of Fame cornerback Aeneas Williams.
“The Cardinals contacted us,” former Rams general manager Charley Armey recalled. “They called us about trading for him. We were of course immediately very interested because we felt in looking at the tapes that he still had some quality years in him.”
Plus, Armey and his Cardinals counterpart at the time – Bob Ferguson – had worked together before, which made the dialogue easier. So Armey got the ball rolling, but it was Zygmunt who closed the deal.
“At one time the Cardinals weren’t real anxious,” Zygmunt told the Post-Dispatch via telephone Thursday. “I’m not sure what the motivation was to trade him because he was tagged.”
Williams wasn’t under contract at the time, and had been given the franchise tag designation by the Cardinals.
“But how could we not (explore a trade)?” Zygmunt said. “He was such a special guy and everybody sort of knew that. We knew he was a Hall of Fame-type player back then. You plug him into a defense that was struggling, and he’s the highest-character guy you could possibly get.”
So for the Rams there wasn’t much to think about. But getting a deal done was complicated on a couple of levels. No. 1, the Rams had a lot going on in the days leading up to the draft, including trading tight end Roland Williams to Oakland and quarterback Trent Green to Kansas City.
The Green trade, which brought the No. 12 overall pick to St. Louis from the Chiefs, took some time and wasn’t finished until the night before the draft.
“The thing was back and forth with (Chiefs executive) Carl Peterson when we were trying to get the Trent Green deal done,” Zygmunt recalled.
Compounding matters with the Williams trade is that, as a franchise player, Williams wasn’t technically under contract. So not only did the Rams have to agree on trade terms with the Cardinals; they had to agree on contract terms with Eugene Parker, Williams’ agent.
There was a catch to negotiating a contract when it came to the Cardinals.
“They wouldn’t let us talk to the player and negotiate a contract until we had agreed on trade terms,” Zygmunt said.
The Rams and Cardinals finally agreed to terms the night before the draft. (Those were the days when the draft wasn’t on prime-time television. It was a two-day affair that began during the day on a Saturday.)
In exchange for Williams, the Rams agreed to send a second-round pick (No. 54 overall) and a fourth-round pick (No. 123 overall) in that year’s draft.
That left Zygmunt less than 18 hours to get a deal done with Parker, because the second-round pick would go off the board at about 2 p.m. the next day. No contract meant no deal, and things didn’t look promising the night before.
“I’ve compromised significantly in almost every area,” Parker said at the time. “But I don’t see it getting done.”
But the Rams made some concessions, including overall contract value and signing bonus, and by the morning of the draft Williams was a Ram: three years, $14.7 million with a $3.6 million signing bonus – a bargain by today’s standards.
“I think Aeneas signed it in Arizona,” Zygmunt said. “I believe he had to go to the Arizona facility and sign the contract there.”
“That was a very good trade for the Rams,” said Armey, now retired and living in the Phoenix area. “It was typical knowing the history of Arizona at the time. They would almost always trade a player of his caliber when they felt like the time had come when it was gonna cost them too much for what they felt they should get as a return.
“So that left the door open for us to make a great trade. You’d make that trade every day of the week.”
The Cardinals used their two picks to draft a pair of University of Memphis players: defensive back Michael Stone in the second round and defensive tackle Marcus Bell in the fourth. Both were out of the league by 2006, or just two years after Williams retired.
Combined, Stone and Bell finished with 24 regular-season starts in their NFL careers. Williams had double that amount, 48, in his four seasons with the Rams.
Despite having seven new starters on defense, the 2001 Rams yielded only 273 points in the 2001 regular season – nearly 200 fewer than the previous year. With Williams leading a young defensive unit, the Rams reached their second Super Bowl in three seasons.
“When you have a guy like Aeneas, you could see it every day,” Smith said. “How he handled himself off the field. How he prepares in the classroom. His warmup routine. All of those things help a young player so much.”
So Williams was a great role model to the youngsters.
“But it’s one thing to sit here and talk about a player who is a great leader and how he taught other guys to practice and play,” Smith said. “But still it comes down to performance and how you play. And this guy played the game as well as anyone.”
Williams enters the Hall of Fame tonight in Canton, Ohio.
RamBillParticipantRams take to the dome as part of FanFest
• By Jim ThomasThe Rams’ work day takes place in the Edward Jones Dome Saturday afternoon — not Rams Park. And for the rookies and some first-year players, it will be a nice little field trip.
For the entire roster, it’s a dress rehearsal for what’s to come — the preseason opener Friday against visiting New Orleans leading on up to the regular season.
“It’s a first-time experience for the first-year players,” coach Jeff Fisher said. “How we warm up. The locker room, and how to come to it from the field. So that in itself is a good experience for the younger players.”
You’d hate to get lost straggling back to the locker room at halftime. (#embarrassing.)
The players will gather at Rams Park Saturday morning and then take a bus downtown to the dome.
Some rookies will be more wide-eyed than others. Take undrafted rookie Jordan Harris, for instance. The wide receiver from Bryant University in Smithfield, R.I., has never been in the Edward Jones Dome. He’s never seen the place except in pictures.
“It looks big,” said Harris, whose only foray downtown came in the spring when he attended a Cardinals baseball game.
He’s never been in a football stadium this large even as spectator, because he’s never attended an NFL game in person. So Harris can’t wait for Saturday’s FanFest event, with fan festivities starting as early as 9:30 a.m. but the actual practice itself not starting until 12:30 p.m. Admission is free.
“I’m very excited,” Harris said. “It’s going to be a blessing. It’s gonna be cool to step in there and see everything, and see how big it is.”
At Bryant, in the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Div. I-AA), Harris played his home games at Bulldog Stadium (capacity 3,400). The biggest stadium he played in, Harris said, was at Stony Brook. “And that was like only 10,000.”
Welcome to the big leagues.
For fans attending training camp practices in Earth City, Saturday’s dome practice won’t look much different. But there will be more of an emphasis on situational football, with some live tackling at the end.
“We’re gonna go through a lot of different scenarios — two minutes and four minutes, and goal line,” Fisher said. “Seven-on-seven and one-on-one, and then we’ll finish with the live rookie contest for I don’t know, maybe 12, 16 plays.
“It’s a good experience. It kinda kicks you off into the preseason.”
Tackling? Did someone mention tackling?
“You look forward to that all the time,” said another undrafted rookie, defensive tackle Ethan Westbrooks. “Out here (at practice) we’ve just been ‘thudding-up,’ and not being able to take guys to the ground. So you’ll be able to lay that first big hit and just shake all the cobwebs out.”
So even if it’s just a play or two, it’s a chance for young roster hopefuls to catch the eye of their position coach, or maybe even the head coach.
Like Harris, Westbrooks also played at the small-college level at West Texas A&M. He has played a couple of times in mammoth Cowboys Stadium — Jerry Jones’ playpen — as part of the Lone Star Conference Festival.
But he’s looking forward to being inside the Edward Jones Dome for the first time, hoping it becomes a regular occurrence for years to come.
“It’s always nice to see a new stadium, so I’m pretty sure I’ll be amazed at what it looks like,” Westbrooks said.
THE REST OF FANFEST
As part of the team’s third annual FanFest, there are several pre-practice activities planned for season-ticket holders and pre-registered fans. Doors open at 9:30 a.m. for that group. (For the general public, dome doors do not open until noon.)
The Rams’ locker room is open for fans from 9:30-10:30 a.m. There will be interactive games on the field, and from 11 a.m. to noon those season-ticket holders and pre-registered fans can hear Rams executives, including executive vice president Kevin Demoff and general manager Les Snead, talk about the team in the Bud Light Party Zone.
Rams cheerleaders will be signing autographs at various locations from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Former Rams center Andy McCollum, one half of the “Donut Bros.” tandem (with Adam Timmerman), will be signing autographs outside the Rams team store from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
When all is said and done, 1,000 of the early-arriving fans will receive “Defend Our Turf” T-shirts. Fans are also encouraged to bring down school supplies as part of the team’s Push for Pencils Drive. There will be collection bins outside the stadium.
RAMS SCRIMMAGEWhen: 12:30 p.m. today
Where: Edward Jones Dome
Cost: Free
If you go: Team autograph session will follow scrimmage.
RamBillParticipantSt. Louis Rams defensive coordinator Gregg Williams speaks about the evolution of the defense, familiarity with his players and more. (8:33)
http://www.rams-news.com/gregg-williams-theyve-taken-another-step-video/
RamBillParticipantLong’s Return to Practice is Good News for the Rams
By Nate Latschhttp://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2014/08/01/latsch-longs-return-to-practice-is-good-news-for-the-rams/
ST. LOUIS (KMOX) — Rams left tackle Jake Long took a significant step forward in his return from the knee injury that ended his 2013 season when he took some reps during the team’s evening practice on Thursday.
“I’m feeling great,” Long said. “Every day I’m progressing and feeling better and I finally got some live reps today. It felt great. I’m really happy witNath how the first day of live stuff went.”
Long, 29, is one of the keys to the St. Louis offensive line this season.
A four-time Pro Bowler and the No. 1 overall pick in the 2008 draft, Long signed a four-year, $34 million with the Rams before the 2013 season but had his first season in St. Louis cut short with ACL and MCL injuries in his right knee on Dec. 22 against Tampa Bay.
Long has been mostly watching his offensive linemates work early in training camp, but he’ll be able to continue progressing with his recovery and is still on schedule to be ready for the season opener.
“All along we had this schedule planned out since the surgery and we’ve been following it,” he said. “As long as we don’t have any setbacks we’re going to keep progressing and getting better and today was the first step of live reps and it went well.”
Thursday’s practice marked the first time that the anticipated starting offensive line — with Long at left tackle, rookie Greg Robinson at left guard, Scott Wells at center, Rodger Saffold at right guard and Joe Barksdale at right tackle — was able to get some work together.
Wells, like Long, also had his 2013 campaign cut short by an injury and he has been slowly working his way back onto the practice field during training camp. With those two taking reps on Thursday, the Rams got a glimpse of that likely starting unit for the first time.
“It felt good, just to be out there (together),” Long said. “Because we’ve been doing it in walk-throughs and been together, but going out there and doing live reps against our defense, it felt good to all be together.”
The Rams have benefitted from Long and Wells being out of practice with other linemen getting more reps during training camp.
Robinson, who played left tackle at Auburn, has seen some practice reps at left tackle, where he may wind up in the future. Saffold, who has played both tackle spots in addition to right guard in the past, has gotten work at both left tackle and left guard (when Robinson was at left tackle).
Youngsters Tim Barnes and Barrett Jones have both taken first-team reps at center with Wells out and Davin Joseph, a two-time Pro Bowler who was signed this offseason after being cut by Tampa Bay, has gotten work with the first-team offense at right guard when Saffold has moved to the left side.
Those other guys getting extra work will help in the future and should make the offensive line stronger, collectively, this season.
“I think we’re coming together real well and especially practicing against this defensive line, it makes us better every single day,” Long said. “Getting Davin, a veteran who’s been to the Pro Bowl and is a great player, he’s doing a great job out there. Greg is just learning every single day and getting better and you can see it on the film and in practice. And all the guys we’ve got, we’ve been working hard and just pushing each other and it’s coming along good.”
The offensive line will be one of the big keys to the Rams’ success in 2014 and could be the deciding factor in whether they make the playoffs with providing a push up front for the running game and giving quarterback Sam Bradford time to operate and find his receivers.
“We’re capable of a lot,” Long said. “We’ve got Sam healthy and the biggest thing that I’ve said all along is if we keep Sam clean and upright in the pocket he’s going to sling it around. Having our receivers out here, this is the best I’ve seen them run around. They are energetic, they’re catching the ball and it’s really fun to watch. We’re going to get our run game going. We’re going to come together and get better. We can be an exciting offense.”
RamBillParticipantMorning Ram-blings: Ram tracking
By Nick Wagonerhttp://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/10067/morning-ram-blings-ram-tracking
EARTH CITY, Mo. — As technology continues to take us to places that allow a better understanding of how the world works, it’s also finding ways to better study the work done by professional athletes.
On Thursday, reports surfaced that the NFL is buying in to some of the technological advancements available to study the movements and work of its players.
ESPN’s Darren Rovell reported that 17 NFL teams are installing real-time locations systems to help track its players. The receivers will be placed in players’ shoulder pads and can track player movement and speed with the hope that teams can glean competitive advantages from the data.
The St. Louis Rams are among the 17 teams the NFL selected to participate.
I.C.Y.M.I.
A roundup of Thursday’s Rams stories appearing on ESPN.com. … In the Ram-blings, we began the day with some interesting comments from Arizona cornerback Patrick Peterson. … Next, I joined the three other NFC West reporters in offering early predictions on how the division will play out. … From there, I offered a closer look at how defensive end Michael Sam’s path to a roster spot is beginning to crystallize. … Rookie cornerback Lamarcus Joyner might not cut an imposing figure but he’s made a strong early impression. … We wrapped up the day with a full camp report from Thursday’s practice No. 6.
Elsewhere:
In conjunction with Rovell’s report, a column from Kevin Seifert from earlier this year that’s worth your time.
This ESPN Insider piece takes a look at how the NFC West is blocking Insider Arizona’s route to the top of the division. You could sub the Rams in for the Cards if you wanted.
At stltoday.com, columnist Bernie Miklasz boldly predicts the Rams to win 10 games and go to the playoffs.
Jim Thomas discusses the pending visit the Rams will get to have an open discussion of sportsmanship and respect.
At 101sports.com, D’Marco Farr and Brad Thompson discuss the Rams’ battle at wide receiver.
Not football-related but read this in Sports Illustrated and wanted to pass it along: Chris Ballard’s story of a skydive gone wrong and a hero’s journey.
RamBillParticipantRams OT Jake Long addressed the media following his first day taking reps after tearing his ACL late last season. (2:28)
http://www.rams-news.com/rams-ot-jake-long-we-can-be-an-exciting-offense-video/
RamBillParticipantRams OT Jake Long right on schedule
By Nick Wagonerhttp://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/10079/rams-ot-jake-long-right-on-schedule
EARTH CITY, Mo. — In the first four full-squad practices of the St. Louis Rams training camp, it’s been normal to see left tackle Jake Long hover near the huddle as the first-team offense takes its repetitions.
Instead of breaking the huddle and dutifully lining up at his perch on the left side, Long would trudge back to stand with his teammates and watch the next play.
It’s been Long’s way of staying involved and keeping up with the offense as he recovers from offseason surgery to repair a torn ACL and MCL in his right knee. But Thursday night, Long took the next step and then the next step after that and the one after that until he was crouched in his usual position taking reps with the top offense.
It was the first reps he’s taken in a team drill of any sort since suffering the injury against Tampa Bay back on Dec. 22 of last year.
“I’m feeling great,” Long said. “Every day I am progressing and feeling better. I finally got some live reps today and it felt great. I’m really happy with how the first day of live stuff went.”
According to Long and coach Jeff Fisher, Long’s return is one of the rare comebacks that is right on schedule rather than the usual ahead of schedule bluster that comes with injuries such as these.
After Long had the surgery in January, the Rams put an actual schedule down on paper with certain dates targeted to reach benchmarks along the way. The Rams have remained hopeful that part of that schedule would include a return to full work about halfway through the preseason and Long’s participation in a couple of preseason games. It didn’t seem too realistic at the time but that looks to be changing.
“We had this schedule planned out since the surgery and we’ve been following it,” Long said. “As long as we don’t have any setbacks, we’re going to keep progressing and getting better. Today was the first step with live reps and it went well.”
Thursday’s practice didn’t appear to offer any setbacks as Long did some work in individual drills, something he’s been doing consistently in camp, and then took a handful of reps during 11-on-11. By no means is Long all the way back and there’s still plenty of work to do, but if nothing else, Fisher was pleased to see his left tackle back in action, especially with center Scott Wells also taking a few reps.
“It’s good to have Jake’s presence back in the offensive huddle again,” Fisher said. “That’s encouraging.”
Long said it’s still realistic that he could play in the preseason and that remains part of the plan. Barring any additional soreness cropping up overnight, the plan is to get him more reps Friday and continue to gradually build until he’s ready for a full workload.
In the meantime, Long has plenty of details he wants to iron out as he works his way back.
“Just getting timing back, getting the pass set and getting that fast twitch off the ball for those speed rushers and just really working your explosion and getting low and bending your knees and that’s been coming back good,” Long said. “As the days go on, the rust will knock off and I’ll get better.”
What once seemed like an overly optimistic estimation for Long’s return appears to be getting closer to an accurate one with each passing day.
July 31, 2014 at 10:01 pm in reply to: JT/Wagoner tweets from practice + Wagoner article on practice, 07/31 #2980RamBillParticipantRams Camp Report: Day 6
By Nick Wagonerhttp://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/10064/rams-camp-report-day-6
EARTH CITY, Mo. — A daily review of the hot topics coming out of St. Louis Rams training camp:
Thursday night’s practice might as well have been the NFL equivalent of homecoming as the Rams had a bunch of familiar faces return to the field, including some coming back from injury who will be key to their success this season. Offensive tackle Jake Long, center Scott Wells and end William Hayes all got at least a few repetitions in team drills after being limited to some individual work to this point in camp. They didn’t get a ton of work, but there were at least a few reps in which the Rams had their projected starting offensive line of (from left to right) Long, Greg Robinson, Wells, Rodger Saffold and Joe Barksdale together for the first time in this camp. Long and Wells did not participate in one-on-one pass-rush drills but Hayes did take some reps. Cornerback Trumaine Johnson also got back to work after sitting a few days with a tight hamstring. Offensive lineman Brandon Washington was also back to work. Defensive end Ethan Westbrooks did some work in the pass-rush drills as well after starting camp on the non-football injury list.
Linebacker James Laurinaitis limped off the field late in the practice and did not return. Coach Jeff Fisher said Laurinaitis got stepped on during the practice. It didn’t appear to be serious. Cornerback Lamarcus Joyner did not practice and had his right leg wrapped as he watched on the sidelines. Others not participating: offensive lineman Barrett Jones, running back Isaiah Pead (hand), safety Christian Bryant, cornerback Jarrid Bryant and defensive end Sammy Brown.
On the field, the action picked up where it left off Tuesday with the offense again starting to catch up to the defense now that shoulder pads are on. Quarterback Sam Bradford continued to take some shots down the field and find his connection. Early in team drills, he hit Stedman Bailey in stride about 40 yards downfield for what likely would have been a touchdown. He also continued to connect with Kenny Britt and Brian Quick on some deep balls and hit Tavon Austin on a deep ball while backed up at his 1-yard line. Austin’s finest moment actually came on a deep comeback route in which Bradford threw high but Austin elevated and caught the pass out of frame. That’s something we haven’t seen much of from Austin since his arrival in St. Louis.
With shoulder pads on, the one-on-one pass-rush drills got rolling Thursday with some interesting matchups. Defensive tackle Aaron Donald continues to dominate and did what he wanted against center Tim Barnes on a couple of reps. If you felt the Earth shake tonight, don’t worry it was just Robinson and tackle Michael Brockers colliding. Robinson did a nice job in a couple of matchups.
Also visiting St. Louis this week: an officiating crew which handled Thursday’s practice and will spend time on points of emphasis with the team in the next couple of days through Saturday’s scrimmage. And Blake Williams, former linebackers coach and son of defensive coordinator Gregg, who stopped in to see his dad and former team at work. He made a similar visit in the spring.
The Rams return to the Rams Park practice field Friday at 4:30 p.m. ET, which doubles as the next workout open to the public.
RamBillParticipantDiminutive Joyner making big impression
By Nick Wagonerhttp://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/10061/diminutive-joyner-making-big-impression
EARTH CITY, Mo. — At a recent St. Louis Rams special-teams practice, coach John Fassel lined his charges up for a drill meant to test their will, if not their ability, to cover a punt.
The drill set up with a gunner on each side of punter Johnny Hekker (and the JUGS machine) and two blockers lined up in front of him. It’s a common sight on Sundays for gunners to face double-teams, but there were no other players on the field and no lines blocking.
While Fassel is going through the process of figuring out who fits where on his special-teams units, he’s looking for more than natural speed and ability. He’s looking to see who wants it the most.
After all, the greatest trait you can have on special teams is that little bit of crazy where you can still control it but it works to your advantage.
“We let a few things go just because we want it to be physical and see whose willing to kind of fight,” Fassel said.
So it was that rookie defensive back Lamarcus Joyner lined up across from the duo Rams teammates have labeled the “Miami Heat,” cornerback Brandon McGee and receiver Stedman Bailey. McGee and Bailey hail from the Miami area and McGee played his college ball for the Hurricanes.
Presumably, the nickname serves as a complement referring to the LeBron James-led version that went to four straight NBA Finals and won two rather than the post-LeBron group that now pays Chris Bosh obscene amounts of money.
As the ball went soaring toward a returner, Joyner was rudely greeted by Bailey and McGee, neither of whom cuts an imposing figure, but both of whom are more than willing to mix it up. Joyner fought off the block and made it about 7 yards before he was hit again. He kept moving and advanced another 15 yards or so before McGee got in a good lick. Joyner again managed to stay on his feet and keep moving.
Joyner didn’t make any sort of spectacular play and in a game, he would likely have been wiped out of the play. But that wasn’t the point.
“I had to be a man,” Joyner said. “They threw me in the fire early but I enjoyed it. I love football; it’s a physical game and I love getting dirty. Just don’t get destroyed. Just show some toughness because the coaches already know what those guys are capable of, so you’ve just got to fight.”
That, in essence, is precisely what Fassel is looking for. Taking it further, it’s what the entire coaching staff is looking for from the 5-foot-8, 182-pound rookie out of Florida State. It’s why the Rams traded up for Joyner in the second round of May’s draft.
“[Joyner is] what we saw on film, a little scrappy, tough, feisty guy,” Fassel said. “I mean, to me, that’s who we want on special teams — a guy that’s tough, not a real big guy, but he’s going to fight.”
That attitude hasn’t been contained to Joyner’s work on special teams. As expected, Joyner is also getting plenty of work on defense, even working with the first team as the nickelback with Trumaine Johnson nursing an unknown injury.
Joyner has made the most of those reps, earning praise from receiver Kenny Britt for his feisty approach and coming up with some strong moments in team drills. He had an interception in consecutive practices earlier in the week and agitated wideout Brian Quick when he came over the top to breakup a pass in 11-on-11 Sunday afternoon.
While Johnson and Janoris Jenkins project as the starting outside corners, Joyner is likely to continue pushing McGee as the primary nickelback. He worked some at safety during the spring but that was because the Rams had a handful of safeties coming back from injury.
It would almost be a surprise if he doesn’t win the nickel job at this point. And now that he’s able to focus more exclusively on that job, he should only continue to improve.
“I’ve been focusing more on nickel, trying to focus on the primary position,” Joyner said. “Then later on in my career here, start thinking about (safety). Now it’s nickel and it’s going pretty well.”
July 31, 2014 at 2:17 pm in reply to: Rams to Implement Tracking Devices for Advanced Metrics/TST #2939RamBillParticipantESPN’s Darren Rovell discusses the NFL’s plan to use tracking devices placed in players’ pads that will help improve the gathering of statistics. The Rams will be involved in the new plan. (2:24)
http://www.rams-news.com/ramsnfl-to-use-tracking-devices-to-enhance-stat-gathering-video/
RamBillParticipantMorning Ram-blings: Giveaway games?
By Nick Wagonerhttp://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/10043/morning-ram-blings-giveaway-games
EARTH CITY, Mo. — The seemingly never-ending debate of which cornerback is the NFL’s best added another log to the fire late Tuesday night when Arizona’s Patrick Peterson signed a record-setting contract.
The deal pays Peterson just shy of $50 million guaranteed with a total value of $70 million should he see it through. As ESPN.com Arizona Cardinals reporter Josh Weinfuss writes, the deal was an obvious move for the Cardinals, who retain their best player for the next five years.
The fallout of Peterson’s deal should last for a while as other teams, including the St. Louis Rams, must begin considering extending their first-round picks from the 2011 draft class. There’s time for that later, as well. But something else involving Peterson caught my eye Wednesday morning.
Speaking to USA Today, Peterson discussed the games against NFC West opponents he felt the Cardinals “gave away” in 2013 and how they must rectify that problem to take the next step in 2014.
One of the games Peterson mentions, of course, is the season-opening loss to the Rams in St. Louis.
“And lord knows we gave the Rams the first game we played them,” Peterson told the paper.
The Rams won that game 27-24 with a stirring fourth-quarter comeback fueled by a key takeaway. In some sense, Arizona did indeed give away that game and it’s clear why Peterson would be bothered by it now considering Arizona finished 10-6 and still came up short of the postseason.
But Peterson should keep in mind that life in the NFC West, the league’s toughest neighborhood, is not going to be easy. Saying the Cardinals “gave away” any games is a disservice to the level of competition in the division. If nothing else, even if he feels that way, there’s no reason to give any of the other NFC West contender more ammunition for the six heavyweight slugfests that will play out this season.
I.C.Y.M.I.
A roundup of Wednesday’s Rams stories appearing on ESPN.com. … In the Ram-blings, we began the day with a closer look at Grantland’s All Bad Contracts team. … In this week’s Buzz video, I discussed the early strong start of the defense and how the offense could even things up with pads on. … From there, we turned our attention to the Rams’ best player, defensive end Robert Quinn and his belief that he’s only going to get better. … Next, we looked at how special teams coach John Fassel believes kicker Greg Zuerlein can improve in 2014. … We closed the team’s day off with a look at former NFL executive Phil Savage’s impressions of the Rams from a Tuesday camp visit.
Elsewhere:
Our NFL Nation team takes an early look at how the drafted rookie quarterbacks are performing in training camp.
At stltoday.com, Jim Thomas examines the offseason of defensive end William Hayes.
Jeff Gordon explores some young Rams who could break out in 2014.
Joe Lyons writes that end Michael Sam is focused on landing a roster spot.
USA Today’s Jarrett Bell offers his take on Sam the football player.
July 30, 2014 at 10:29 pm in reply to: Gordon, Wagoner…Rams who could improve this year, even Quinn #2895RamBillParticipantRams’ Quinn still striving to improve
By Howard Balzerhttp://sports.yahoo.com/news/rams-quinn-still-striving-improve-221008909–nfl.html
St. Louis Rams defensive end Robert Quinn fell a half-sack short of leading the NFL last season. Quinn had 19 sacks, and entering just his fourth season, the needle is pointing way up for the 24-year-old.
Quinn, though, believes he can be better. One reason he raised his game last season was a strong commitment to the offseason program. This year?
“I stuck to my same routine. If it’s not broken, don’t fix it, right?” Quinn said. “Of course, I want to push myself harder to be a better player.”
Rams coach Jeff Fisher, asked about Quinn having more room to develop, said, “Yeah, he really thinks he does. He thinks he can get better, he’s working at it.
“The plays that he made last year at critical times in ballgames were very, very impressive if you go back through the end of the games, the end of halves, the two-minute things. Yeah, he feels like he can get better; we’re doing everything we can to help him get better.”
However, asked if he has a number in mind as a goal, Quinn laughed and said, “I can’t do that because you’re going to put too much pressure on me.”
Still, he knows his 19 sacks were just 3 1/2 below the NFL record of 22 1/2 set by Michael Strahan of the New York Giants in 2001. Strahan is being enshrined in the Hall of Fame this weekend.
Asked about the record, Quinn said, “Can I plead the fifth? I’m sure any d-lineman or anybody going for sacks wants to take down that record, but you have to go one sack at a time.
“I’ve got a lot of work to do to better myself, and I think as a defense we’ve got a lot of work to do.”
Quinn is most enthused by the presence of defensive coordinator Gregg Williams.
“His philosophy is to defend every blade of grass,” Quinn said. “That’s how detailed he wants to be about everything, and I think guys are definitely stepping up to the challenge.”
Overall, Quinn believes the defense will be better, which will help create more wins for the team.
“We’ve got a whole bunch of great guys that can put up numbers on any given day,” Quinn said. “It’s going to be hard just to focus on one guy, so if teams decide to focus on me you can name any guy on our defense, really.”
Fisher added, “Pass rushing is an art and you can get better at it. You can anticipate, you can get better with counter moves, get better on each opponent. He’s taking a lot of time, studying, and I think he knows how to approach each opponent week in and week out, he understands the system very well. One would think he’d probably have better numbers than he did last year.
“Yeah, he’s got a great future ahead of him. Obviously, he’s going to attract some attention, but our defense is such that if they so choose to do that, then either someone else is going to come free or someone else could take advantage of a one-on-one.”
RamBillParticipantRams Training Camp highlights from Tuesday, July 29th: The Rams had their first full contact, full pads practice. Michael Sam talked with the mass of media assembled after practice. He continued to focus on trying his best to make this team out of Training Camp. Mizzou assistant football coaches came over from Columbia, MO to take in the Rams practice. There are four Tiger alums on the Rams current roster; Michael Sam, E.J. Gaines, T.J. Moe and Tim Barnes. (1:44)
http://www.rams-news.com/fox2-rams-training-camp-report-july-29-video/
RamBillParticipant
Savage saw it coming with Donald
• By Jim ThomasPhil Savage stopped by Rams camp Tuesday, and he’s not the least bit surprised by Aaron Donald’s impressive first steps as an NFL player. Savage, after all, witnessed Donald’s breakout week in late January in his duties as executive director of the Reese’s Senior Bowl.
“Aaron Donald had a sensational week down there,” Savage said. “Really kind of burst on the scene so to speak. I think most people thought he was probably a top of the second, maybe later first-round pick. So I think the game and the practices definitely helped him. He was really unblockable down there.”
Donald, the defensive tackle from Pittsburgh, shot up draft boards after Senior Bowl week to the point where the Rams felt lucky he was there at No. 13 overall.
Under coach Jeff Fisher and general manager Les Snead, the Rams have done a lot of business with Senior Bowl players.
“They value competition and I think when they see players come in for that game, you’re not shying away from competition,” Savage said. “You’re wanting to test yourself against the other best players in the country. So I think that’s probably the thread if there is one. Sometimes it’s just happenstance.”
Besides Donald, the Rams also drafted Senior Bowl participant Michael Sam, the defensive from the University of Missouri.
“Michael Sam was there primarily as an outside linebacker,” said Savage, previously the general manager of the Cleveland Browns, and also a personnel executive with Philadelphia and Baltimore.
“But then he had a sack in the game,” Savage continued. “He had kind of an ordinary week of practice but then he had the production in the game. I’m sure that’s kinda what they’re hoping to see out here.”
THURSDAY’S PRACTICE CLOSED
The Rams’ 5:30 p.m. practice tomorrow is closed to the general public because of a sponsors’ function.
RamBillParticipantWe wired Tre Mason for sound AND gave him a helmet cam during Sunday’s training camp practice. (2:25)
http://www.rams-news.com/wired-rams-rb-tre-mason-helmet-cam-video/
RamBillParticipantESPN.com St. Louis Rams reporter Nick Wagoner says the defense has been dominant in the early stages of camp. On the other side of the coin, the offense has struggled when 1′s have gone against 1′s. (1:00)
http://www.rams-news.com/wagoners-rams-buzz-defense-had-been-dominant-so-far-video/
RamBillParticipantRams notebook: Rookie Sam continues to make progress
• By Joe LyonsRams rookie defensive end Michael Sam continues to work toward earning a spot on the 53-man roster.
And he continues to answer media questions.
Do you want to be a trailblazer?
“I’m a football player,’’ the seventh-round draft pick from Missouri responded.
At what point do you think people will stop asking you those kind of questions and ask you just about football all the time?
“When I lay somebody out that first game,’’ he said.
Sam, the first openly gay football player drafted into the NFL, was met by a larger-than-usual media group after Tuesday’s practice at Rams Park and was generally unfazed by it.
“I could care less if the media was out here or not,’’ said Sam, 24. “My goal is still just to make this team, whether I was a first-round pick or a free agent. My job is to make this team. Whether you guys are here or not, that’s my goal.’’
Sam, the co-defensive player in the SEC a year ago, seems to be catching on. He showed some pass-rush ability off the left end Saturday in one-on-one blocking drills, impressed special teams coordinator John Fassel with his blocking Monday and competed well Tuesday in the team’s first full-pad practice.
“I didn’t see the pass-rush (drills), but it looked like he held his own in team periods,’’ coach Jeff Fisher said. “He’s been doing a great job. We’re treating him just like all the other rookies in the rookie class.’’
In addition to the media, Sam had some friendly faces in the crowd Tuesday as the Missouri coaching staff stopped by and visited after practice with Sam and the Rams’ other ex-Tigers — center Tim Barnes, receiver T.J. Moe and cornerback E.J. Gaines.
Mizzou’s “report day is Sunday, so it was real good seeing those guys,’’ Sam said. “I told my defensive coordinator (Dave Steckel) and my position coach, Coach Kool (Craig Kuligowski) to tell the guys good luck this season.’’
Sam, who stands 6 feet 2 and recently lost 13 pounds to 257 to improve his quickness for special teams, said his teammates have been helpful, he’s picking up the Rams’ system and he’s improving every day.
“I’m learning from the guys. … They’re teaching me a lot,’’ he said. “I’m seeing … I’m doing what they’re doing. … I just need to improve at everything.
“I’m a football player. This is football. This feels natural.’’
Coaching Additions
J. Aggabao and Kenan Smith have been added to the Rams’ coaching staff. Smith will work with the receivers while Aggabao, who was a season intern with the Rams last season, will help with strength and conditioning.
A track and football athlete from Sacramento State, Smith worked in the marketing department at Michigan from 2006-2009, worked as a football operations volunteer intern at Ball State and as a graduate assistant in charge of receivers at Anderson University before working the last three years as an assistant coach at Butler University.
“We interviewed him at the (scouting) combine,’’ Fisher said. “He’s a bright young coach. He’s — they call it PhD — he’s poor, hungry and determined.
“He fits a role for us on the offensive staff.’’
Aggabao is a U.S. Navy veteran who earned his bachelor’s degree in kinesiology from Washington State and a master’s in exercise physiology from Illinois State. He’s a certified strength and conditioning specialist and a USA Weightlifting certified sports performance coach.
After serving as an intern strength and conditioning coach at Washington State in 2010-11, he was a strength and conditioning graduate assistant at Illinois State from 2011-13.
“J. was an intern with us last year and did a great job, so we brought him on full time,’’ Fisher said.
RAM-BLINGS
Tuesday marked the Rams’ first full-squad workout in pads — helmets, shoulder pads and shorts. It drew 1,678 fans.
“Yesterday, we had a special-teams practice in pads, so the young guys kind of got used to it,’’ Fisher said. “But (today) was really what we expected. They loved the practice. They protected each other and there were no issues, except a lot of big plays on both sides of the ball,’’
Highlight plays Tuesday included a pair of well-thrown deep balls from Sam Bradford to third-year receiver Brian Quick; a Bradford-to-Kenny Britt grab over second-year cornerback Brandon McGee; a Garrett Gilbert pass to Chris Givens in the back corner of the end zone; and interceptions by rookie Lamarcus Joyner and second-year safety Cody Davis.
• Following a day off today and a closed-to-the-public workout Thursday, the next practice open to the public will be Friday at 3:30 p.m. On Saturday, the team will shift to the Edward Jones Dome for its FanFest workout at 12:30 p.m.
• Players sitting out Tuesday’s workout included cornerback Trumaine Johnson, linebacker Johnny Millard, fullback Kadeem Jones, cornerback Jarrid Bryant and running back Isaiah Pead, who had a cast on his right hand. Tackle Jake Long, center Scott Wells, guard Brandon Washington and defensive end William Hayes continue to work on the side, with safety Christian Bryant and defensive lineman Ethan Westbrooks still on the non-football injury list.
• Jim Hanifan made another practice appearance Tuesday. Others in attendance were sportswriters Joan Niesen (Sports Illustrated), Bill Rhoden (New York Times), Jarrett Bell (USA Today) and former Cleveland Browns GM Phil Savage, who’s now the executive director of the Senior Bowl.
Area high school programs with coaches on the sideline Tuesday included St. Charles West, Fort Zumwalt West, Francis Howell Central, SLUH and Hazelwood East.
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