Rams report: First full-squad day in pads results in big plays
• By Joe Lyons

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/rams-report/rams-report-first-full-squad-day-in-pads-results-in/article_13704ad4-c9b2-5640-913d-c243a6dc79fe.html

The Rams went through their first full-squad padded workout _ helmets, shoulder pads and shorts _ Tuesday afternoon before 1,678 fans at Rams Park in Earth City. And coach Jeff Fisher liked what he saw.

“We had a special-teams practice in pads yesterday, so the young guys kind of got used to it,” he 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 Sam-to-Kenny Britt grab over second-year corner Brandon McGee; a Garrett Gilbert pass to Chris Givens in the back corner of the end zone; a Shaun Hill ; and interceptions by rookie Lamarcus Joyner and second-year safety Cody Davis.

RAM-BLINGS

Following a day off Wednesday and a closed-to-the-public workout on 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, and corner Jarrid Bryant. 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.

• No Gary Pinkel but the rest of the Mizzou coaching staff watched practice and spent some time with former Tigers Michael Sam, T.J. Moe, E.J. Gaines and Tim Barnes after the workout.

• Area football legend 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.

Rookie Joyner impressing in training camp
By Nate Latsch

http://stl.scout.com/2/1427457.html

ST. LOUIS — You can add Rams special teams coordinator John Fassel and wide receiver Kenny Britt to the growing list of fans of rookie cornerback Lamarcus Joyner early in training camp.
Britt has spent most of his short time with the Rams, during OTAs and early in camp, trash talking and attempting to one-up the team’s stable of young defensive backs. But he was asked on Monday which of the guys in the secondary has impressed him and he said it was Joyner.

“His head’s in the game and his game is all about mental more than physical,” Britt said. “His head’s in the game and he’s in the right spot at the right time.”

Fassel was asked following Monday’s special teams practice what he has seen so far in training camp from the second-round pick out of Florida State.

“What we saw on film,” the coach said. “You know a little scrappy, tough, feisty guy. To me, that’s who we want on special teams, a guy that’s tough. He’s not a real big guy, but he’s going to fight.”

Those words are music to the ears of the diminutive cornerback, who has spent years proving that his size — he’s listed at 5-foot-8 and 184 pounds — can’t measure his heart and his ability to make a big impact on a football field.

“It speaks highly of myself that my coach is saying that,” Joyner said. “It’s easy to come from the horse’s mouth, but if someone else is a witness to that, then that’s a testimony of me. That’s one of the reasons they drafted me, because they saw those attributes in me. So I appreciate that.”

Where does it come from?

“That just comes from the heart,” Joyner said. “That’s that willpower. Everybody talks about size, speed, strength, but if you don’t have willpower none of that exists.”

The Miami native has had a strong first few days of camp.

Drafted by coach Jeff Fisher and general manager Les Snead to play the nickel cornerback spot, Joyner took some reps with the first team defense on Sunday, the team’s third full-squad session of camp.

“It felt real good,” he said. “I have to earn those guys’ trust. It’s all about continuity and guys building a bond and I have to earn the older guys’ trust and the only way I do that is go out there and go out there and play football and make plays.”

On Monday morning, when the players donned pads for the first time in camp and went through a special teams practice, Joyner showed his toughness in a drill where he was matched up against a double-team of wide receiver Stedman Bailey and cornerback Brandon McGee.

“They put me against the Miami Heat, is what they call those guys, Bailey and Brandon McGee,” he said. “Two of the toughest guys in the league and they put me up against those guys. I had to be a man. They threw me in the fire early but I enjoyed it. I love football. It’s a physical game and I love getting dirty.”

That attitude helped Joyner’s Seminoles win a national championship last season and helped convince the Rams’ decision-makers that Joyner would be the right choice in the second round a few months ago.

Fisher and Snead obviously felt strongly enough about Joyner that they even traded up, dealing a fifth-round pick, to make sure they could select him.

“I just love football,” Joyner said. “I’m a football player. I told this organization that on my visit, if you draft me you’re drafting a football player.”

Joyner has proved that during the early stages of his first NFL training camp. There’s still plenty left to prove, of course, and the players will have their first full-squad regular practice in pads on Tuesday afternoon. Soon enough there will be a scrimmage and then exhibition games before the beginning of the regular season when everything gets ramped up even more.

Joyner will have plenty of chances to win the starting nickel corner job over the next few weeks, but it’s clear that he has impressed his coaches and teammates early on in training camp. He’s also enjoyed his time.

“I feel good. I feel real good,” Joyner said. “I’m enjoying the older guys, the guys that have been in the league a couple years. We have one of the youngest teams in the National Football League and those guys have been pretty helpful and I’ve been learning from those guys, the guys before me, and they show great leadership. I appreciate that.”

Casey Phillips caught up with kicker Greg Zuerlein after practice to talk about his training camp routine, offseason training and much more. (2:09)

Watch Here: http://www.rams-news.com/one-on-one-with-rams-kicker-greg-zuerlein-video/

Rams notebook: Hekker looks for more success after Pro Bowl season in 2013
• By Joe Lyons

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/rams-notebook-hekker-looks-for-more-success-after-pro-bowl/article_882b0f4d-ab68-5ffc-8f00-b6e5e30ff178.html

Rams punter Johnny Hekker enjoyed a breakout season in 2013, earning a trip to the Pro Bowl after setting an NFL record with a 44.2-yard net punting average.

Thanks to Hekker’s hangtime and directional kicks, the Rams also led the league in minimizing punt return yardage, allowing just 79 yards on 30 returns for an average of 2.6 yards.

But, as Hekker sees it, none of that matters now.

“I think the best thing I can do for myself and my team is put all that behind me,’’ the third-year pro from Oregon State said after Monday morning’s special-teams workout at Rams Park. “That was last season and it has no bearing on what I’m going to do this season, I’m just going to put that out of my mind. … In order to have a special season, I’m going to have to have an even better work ethic, an even better game plan and mental approach to the game.

“I believe I can have another great year. I think I can be a better punter, definitely. … I’m just going to go out on every rep and kick the ball where I can. I have some amazing teammates around me that you saw today working their butts off and I have the best special teams coach in the NFL, without a doubt, and he’s going to get us ready week in and week out to dominate.

“He said it best today: We don’t want to be the best we can be; we just want to be the best.’’

Special teams coordinator John “Bones’’ Fassel has worked extensively with Hekker since the 6-foot-5, 236-pound punter joined the Rams as an undrafted free agent in 2012.

“He has never-ending energy, that guy,’’ Hekker said. “He’s always smiling, always excited about coaching and it’s contagious … you can’t help but work hard for a guy like that, (a guy who) really puts in a lot of time and cares about you as a player and as a person off the field.’’

As a specialist, Hekker spends a lot of time watching practice, and he’s excited about this squad.

“These guys are fast and tenacious and I think we could be in for a great season,’’ he said. “I’m excited that we get to borrow them on special teams when they’re not tearing it up on offense and defense.’’

Just a few days before the start of camp, the fun-loving Hekker threw out the first pitch at a Cardinals-Rays game and called the experience “incredible, probably the most nerve-racking moments in sports I’ve ever had.”

“I never played organized baseball, so I get up there on the bump and my nerves started getting going,” the 24-year-old said. “But I zinged the ball in there. It was a little outside, but I think it was a strike. At least Fredbird called it that way.’’

Hekker said he practiced with fellow punter Bobby Cowan that morning and received some advice from teammates.

“They told me that I had to make sure to get up on the bump, that I couldn’t stand in front of the mound,’’ he recalled. “I knew if I was going to do it, I was going all the way.’’

CHRIS LONG, SOCCER FAN

Defensive end Chris Long enjoys watching futbol and made comments about the sport throughout the World Cup on Twitter. Last week, he also tweeted during an exhibition match between Manchester City and Sporting KC in Kansas City.

“An MLS team would be awesome here, wouldn’t it?’’ he said over the weekend. “I don’t know the economics of the situation. I was thinking about it the other night (and) actually Googled how much a team costs. …

“But man, it would be cool. This is a great sports town and it would be awesome. It seems like there are soccer fans here (and) Kansas City is doing a great job.’’

Long said he was rooting for Argentina to win in Brazil, but it fell short in the World Cup final, losing 1-0 to Germany.

RAM-BLINGS

The Rams held their first practice in pads Monday, going through a short, entertaining and spirited special teams workout.

For a lot of young players, special teams is the first step toward earning a spot in the NFL, so with the majority of the 90-man roster looking to impress coaches, the competition was fierce.

“It’s a great way to evaluate guys,” Fassel said.

Monday’s highlights included a clash and some heated words between second-year linebacker Ray Ray Armstrong and free agent linebacker Lawrence Wilson. Armstrong led the team with 12 special teams tackles in 2013.

Fassel said Michael Sam, the seventh-round draft choice from Mizzou, showed promise in blocking drills and also praised rookie defensive back Lamarcus Joyner, who more than held his own in a double-team against second-year players Brandon McGee and Stedman Bailey.

• The Rams will hold their first full-squad workout in pads today. The practice, which is free and open to the public, will begin at 3:30 p.m.

Thanks, Zack….and thanks for the Rams cake.

Testing:

http://www.rams-news.com/rams-will-only-be-as-good-as-their-defense/ –Rams Will Only Be As Good As Their Defense
It is well-known that the days of scoring 30 or more points a game consistently are long gone. The St. Louis Rams are no longer revolved around their offense, and now rely primarily on the defense.

http://www.rams-news.com/rams-will-only-be-as-good-as-their-defense/ Rams Will Only Be As Good As Their Defense
It is well-known that the days of scoring 30 or more points a game consistently are long gone. The St. Louis Rams are no longer revolved around their offense, and now rely primarily on the defense.