How will the @RamsNFL build off of last season's success?

Head coach Sean McVay joined @AndrewSiciliano and @wyche89!

📺: Inside Minicamp LIVE pic.twitter.com/MZcDHCVTKo

— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) June 12, 2018

10 Observations from Day 1 of Mandatory Minicamp

Myles Simmons

http://www.therams.com/news-and-events/article-1/10-Observations-from-Day-1-of-Mandatory-Minicamp/c81a1955-878f-4955-bbbc-7f1abc345b7a

1) With the beginning of minicamp on Tuesday, the Rams went through a walk-thru in the morning, then had regular practice in the afternoon following a lunch break. The club started with special teams drills before the rest of the squad went through a stretch prior to individual drills.

2) It’s a pretty minor detail, but the Rams got new scoreboards for practice. They’re bigger and easier to see from any part of the field. There’s a large clock, a play clock, and segment section on the scoreboard to the left. And then an offensive tally and defensive tally to the right for compete periods.

3) The defense began individual drills with each position group — defensive line, linebackers, and secondary — going through takeaway stations. One station simulated strip-sacks, with the defensive players rushing a QB dummy, hitting the ball out, and recovering the fumble. Another practiced the proper technique to dive on the football. And the last simulated a defensive player ripping the ball out from an offensive ballcarrier.

4) As always, head coach Sean McVay was active on the practice field during individual drills, covering different receivers on certain routes — especially Robert Woods, Brandin Cooks, and Cooper Kupp. McVay also would ask for different routes from the various wide receivers in the group, with routes changing for the X, Z, and F positions.

5) Los Angeles began its 7-on-7 drills with the starters on offense going against the starters on defense. It was a move-the-ball period with the offense pushing the tempo and going no huddle. Quarterback Jared Goff had a few nice completions to wide receivers Brandin Cooks and Robert Woods. He also fit the ball in a tight window to tight ends Tyler Higbee and Gerald Everett.

6) During 7-on-7 with the second group of offense and defense, cornerback Troy Hill went up to make a nice pass deflection on a deep pass from Sean Mannion to wide receiver Mike Thomas. Hill and Thomas were down the middle of the field, with the corner effectively keeping up stride for stride until the ball arrived.

7) As McVay noted after practice, the Rams kept things a bit lighter for the first team offense and defense, with neither group going through 11-on-11 drills on Tuesday. The second group, however, did go through a full speed 11-on-11 period.

8) That period began with running back Malcolm Brown ripping off a nice run to the right side of the field. Brown has quietly had a productive offseason program, working as running back Todd Gurley’s backup.

9) Wide receiver Fred Brown ended the 11-on-11 period by making a nice diving catch on the left side of the field from quarterback Brandon Allen. While the Rams have a talented receiving corps, Brown will have a chance to compete for a role on the 53-man roster during training camp.

10) Los Angeles ended Tuesday’s session with Sam Ficken kicking field goals. As McVay has said during the offseason program, L.A. will continue to bring along kicker Greg Zuerlein slowly so as to not risk any setbacks.

Kelly Excited About Personal Growth Throughout Offseason

Kristen Lago

http://www.therams.com/news-and-events/article-1/Kelly-Excited-About-Personal-Growth-Throughout-Offseason/5421095d-0435-416e-a3b9-4e17c3e2f23c

Rookie running back John Kelly will be the first to tell you he has a big personality.

Whether on the field or off, Kelly can often be found joking around with his new teammates and running backs coach Skip Peete — always with a big smile on his face.

And in the six weeks since he was drafted by the Rams, that bright personality has served him well, helping to build a solid foundation throughout OTAs.

“I’ve been able to learn at a nice tempo, so I’m pretty excited,” Kelly said. “Just being able to come up here and bond with some of my teammates, build a good relationship with the coaches and everybody in the building. It’s been a good ride so far.”

But Kelly, like many other first-year players, has also experienced his share of challenges. In just a few months, the Tennessee product has undergone several big life changes — moving to the West Coast and beginning a full-time career among them.

While the most difficult aspect for Kelly has admittedly been learning the offensive system at such a quick pace, the process has been made easier by the veterans in his room.

“Todd Gurley, Malcolm Brown, and Justin Davis have all been pretty helpful,” Kelly explained. “If we make a mistake out here, they are making sure to help us on the corrections as soon as possible. We’ve got a pretty good running backs room, so I’m excited to see what the year got for us.”

The group has also helped Kelly with one of the lesser acknowledged aspects of being an NFL rookie — acting as a professional.

“I think I’m the youngest guy in our class [and] this is grown-man business, so I’ve got to mature for sure,” Kelly said. “We’ve got a bigger target on us than it was at first when we were in college. We’re more under the

microscope being professional athletes, so I’m definitely trying to make sure I stay along with that phase as well.”

And after his first month with the organization, Kelly feels as if he has been placed into the perfect environment. Not only does he believe the roster features “a nice blend of personalities,” but a head coach in Sean McVay who is very connected with the team as a whole.

“With coach McVay being a younger guy, he can relate to us a lot more and we have a nice group of older guys who’ve been in this league for a long time as well,” Kelly said.

“I feel like we got a culture that’s like no other,” he continued. “As far as me being here and me taking visits to other places, I feel like coach McVay did a good job of developing a great culture here. We’re all caring and loving on each other everyday, but we’re also competing everyday at practice.”

As Rams gear up for minicamp, Aaron Donald seems unlikely to suit up

GARY KLEIN

http://www.latimes.com/sports/rams/la-sp-rams-camp-20180611-story.html

Players paraded through the Rams’ Thousand Oaks practice facility Monday, taping television and in-game stadium promos and posing for media-guide portraits.

Aaron Donald was not among them.

As the Rams prepare for the start of a mandatory minicamp Tuesday, all indications are that Donald, embroiled in a contract dispute that dates to 2017, will not attend.

Last year, after sitting out organized-team activities, the star defensive tackle attended the mandatory minicamp but did not participate in drills. By attending, he avoided slightly more than $80,000 in fines.

But this year, the financial penalty probably won’t factor into the decision for the reigning NFL defensive player of the year, a four-year veteran capable of resetting the market for players other than quarterbacks.

Donald, 27, is scheduled to earn about $6.9 million this season in the final year of his rookie contract.

Neither the Rams nor Donald’s representatives have commented publicly about his desired salary figure or range. Donald, however, is thought to be seeking a deal that will pay him in excess of $20 million per season. That would not only make him the highest-paid defensive player in history, but would also put him in the company of highly compensated quarterbacks.

The Rams have leverage: If they don’t eventually come to terms with Donald this season, they could put the franchise tag on him in each of the next two.

And if Donald does not report to training camp at least 30 days before the Sept. 10 season opener against the Oakland Raiders, he would lose the opportunity to accrue a year toward unrestricted free agency.

Coach Sean McVay and general manager Les Snead have said they were in communication with Donald’s agents, but neither side has expressed publicly that they are close to working out a deal.

McVay said last week he would speak with Donald regarding the minicamp.

“I know we’ll have an idea based on whether it’s ‘OK, I’m not going to come until there’s a resolution,’ or ‘I will be there,’ ” McVay said.

Donald is not the only marquee player staying away from an NFL minicamp because of a contract situation.

The Atlanta Falcons announced Monday that receiver Julio Jones will not participate. Oakland Raiders defensive end Khalil Mack, the 2016 NFL defensive player of the year, reportedly also will be absent.

Donald’s participation in minicamp would help strengthen a remade Rams defense that features new defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh and cornerbacks Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib.

But his absence is not regarded as a major distraction for a team that features a majority of players who are familiar with McVay’s offense and defensive coordinator Wade Phillips’ 3-4 scheme.

McVay said the minicamp would seek to “somewhat mimic and emulate” a training camp schedule, with walk-throughs in the morning and workouts in the afternoon.

“The goal is to get to training camp healthy and ready to go,” McVay said.

During OTA workouts, McVay and players on offense said quarterback Jared Goff demonstrated confidence and growth as he prepared for his second season in McVay’s system.

Receiver Cooper Kupp said mastering the system during minicamp was the goal for the entire offense.

“Come training camp, we’re going to be right where we need to be to hit the ground running,” Kupp said, “And just continue that process all the way up to [the season opener at] Oakland that first week.”

Rams DL Aaron Donald was not on site in Thousand Oaks for media-guide photos and to tape network television and in-game stadium promos. He is not expected to attend mandatory minicamp that starts Tuesday.

— Gary Klein (@LATimesklein) June 11, 2018

from Prisco’s Top 100 NFL Players of 2018

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/priscos-top-100-nfl-players-of-2018-rodgers-tops-brady-for-no-1-jaguars-have-most-on-list/

Who are the NFL’s best players?
Who is the best quarterback? Top pass rusher? Receiver?
The debate is settled with my 2018 list of Top 100 NFL players, a list that looks back at the 2017 season, but also ahead to 2018.

…

3 Aaron Donald
LOS ANGELES RAMS DE
The reigning Defensive Player of the Year is a force on the inside and should be even better this year with more help next to him in Ndamukong Suh. The Rams need to make him the highest-paid defensive player in the league.

12 Todd Gurley
LOS ANGELES RAMS RB
He was special in 2017, putting up big numbers running it and catching it out of the backfield. He should again be a legitimate MVP candidate.

51 Ndamukong Suh
LOS ANGELES RAMS DT
He never lived up to the money in Miami, but he was still a heck of a player on their line. Now he gets to play next to Aaron Donald, which might make him even better.

59 Marcus Peters
LOS ANGELES RAMS CB
He plays a cocky brand of corner, but he usually backs it up. A change of scenery will be good for him.

69 Aqib Talib
LOS ANGELES RAMS DB
This 32-year-old showed last season he still has the tools to be an outstanding cover player. He will be a nice fit with the Rams.

75 Andrew Whitworth
LOS ANGELES RAMS T
In his first season with the Rams, he helped steady a line that was in need of it. He continues to be one of the best in the league.

97 Jared Goff
LOS ANGELES RAMS QB
After a slow start in his rookie season, he really came on under Sean McVay last year in his second. He will be much higher up this list next year.

BREAKING: I will not be attending minicamp this week. For any team.

So far that's me, Earl Thomas, & Julio Jones.

Who else is with us?

— Ross Tucker (@RossTuckerNFL) June 11, 2018

InvaderRam wrote:

the reasons being i only see goff and kupp getting better. and cooks is totally an upgrade over watkins.

my only real worry is the tight end position

If TE is a worry, seems to me they can back-seat it. They will have the WRs and the RB. Not saying they are equivalent to the GSOT WRs and RB, but, the GSOT didn’t have TEs either.

My main things are OL health, and Goff & co. in clutch situations. Sometimes when I bring up clutch situations, some people say, well I would rather have a team that just outscores the opposition from the get-go. I think the NFC is too tough for that. Good teams play good teams and end up in tight games. I think that’s inevitable. And in 2017, they didn’t pull that off enough times. We know that just from watching but there’s also this stat: %Passes Completed, Late & Close. With that he was 45.3% which ranked 31st. To be fair that covers just 53 of his 477 passes but still. ( That stat is here btw: http://stats.washingtonpost.com/fb/leaders.asp?range=NFC&rank=043&type=Passing&year= ).