That was a seriously empty article as articles go.

Skip it, I say.

Or, free pie to anyone who finds something in it anyone of use couldn’t have written better ourselves.

Plus of course the title is silly. Musical chairs on the OL? Cause Hav is out? Hav coming back sends Saffold back to LOG, and in the meanwhile Wichmann gets reps with the 1s, which is good. Man a newbie. If they think that is Rams OL disruption, then heaven shield them from the horror of knowing what has come before, in previous years.

I don’t always read em before I cut n paste em.

Which btw will probably be the motto on my gravestone.

Isiah58 wrote:

I guess my premise is that there are two types of high percentage passing teams: those that are good to very good at it, and those that are rather bad at it. In the Rams’ case, I suspect that their percentage is not necessarily a reflection of Fisher’s true model but rather a by-product of an offense that miserable passing and on third down.

So let’s look at the Tampa Bay game from last year (because it is the only game that I can remember where the offense was working, both pass and run). The Rams jumped out to a big lead through Keenum’s passing and some decent balanced offense, and won 31 – 23. In that game, Keenum threw 17 passes and the Rams had 33 rushing attempts, so basically a 2:1 run to pass ratio. Now, the Rams jumped out to a big lead so they ran the ball more in the second half, but my point is that when the Rams pass WELL, the pass more infrequently and when the pass POORLY, they pass more.

Isiah 58

I took that game (Tampa) as just being how they would use Keenum.

In 2012, for example, they tried the Rams offensive signature stuff in game after game—play action passing, running the ball, setting up shots (Rams are always in the top 3rd in the league in percentage of total attempts thrown 31 yards or more). BUT they also had a great “comeback win” 4th quarter offense (they won 4 comeback games that year though actually one was a tie not a win). So they put more on the qb.

With Keenum, it’s different.

My bet is that with Goff, when he’s up to speed, it will be different still again.

Yes, meanwhile, 3rd down is an issue. Which I bet they also fix.

Isiah58 wrote:

I have another thought that is wholly unsupported by any empiracle evidence. The premise is that having a crappy pass offense can actually result in a higher pass to run percentage. Normally, we associate high pass ratios with better QBs and more sophisticated passing offenses. But the Rams have been a very poor passing offense since Bradford went down for the last time, with some notable exceptions.

If you try to pass unsuccessfully on first or second down, it virtually assures that you will need to pass again on third down. A better indicator would be how the offense runs when it’s running well (both running and passing). Evaluating what a coach or coordinator does in that situation I submit is a better view of what tendencies are organic rather than imposed.

Just a thought,
Isiah 58

But actually applying an empirical matrix to that…how does it break down if you add together pass percentage, passing TD%, and wins? This is a made-up on the spot hypothetical but I will try it. I don’t know if it addresses what you’re saying, but it’s at least a tangential exercise related to what you;re saying.

I will list the top 10 teams in terms pass percentage and then rank them according to a general passing TD% + wins rubric. This doesn’t tell you why they won or lost, because of course that could be many things. Let’s see what it does tell us if anything.

All from the 2015 season.

New England: 5.7% TD percentage (ranked 7th), record = 12/4
Indianapolis: 4.2% TD percentage (ranked 20th), record = 8/8
Oakland: 5.6% TD percentage (ranked 8th), record = 7/9
Detroit: 5.2% TD percentage (ranked 12th), record = 7/9
New Orleans: 4.8% TD percentage (ranked 14th), record = 7/9
Miami: 4.1% TD percentage (ranked 23rd), record = 6/10
Jacksonville: 5.8% TD percentage (ranked 6th), record = 5/11
Baltimore: 3.1% TD percentage (ranked 28th), record = 5/11
San Diego: 4.5% TD percentage (ranked 17th), record = 4/12
Cleveland: 3.3% TD percentage (ranked 27th), record = 3/13

OUt of the top 10 passing percentage teams only one has a winning record. You would have to go case by case but most (except the Patz) were clearly passing to try to stay in games. Whether they were efficient or not? Either they weren’t and that was the oddly negative reason they passed more (as you said, they weren’t good passing on 1st and 2nd downs and so had more 3rd downs passing), or they were but it’s all the team had (it had no defense or running game)…or both.

Jared Goff should be the Rams’ starting quarterback

Sam Farmer

http://www.latimes.com/sports/rams/la-sp-farmer-goff-20160808-snap-story.html

The Rams were bold when they acquired a massive chunk of land in Inglewood and planned a $2.6-billion stadium, bold when they seized a Los Angeles market gathering dust for two decades, bold when they made a historic leap up to the No. 1 pick in the draft.

And they should be bold again in making rookie Jared Goff the starting quarterback.

Goff is working with the No. 2 offense — Case Keenum is the starter — but with each practice the former University of California standout is showing he’s increasingly ready to take the reins. The exhibition opener against Dallas on Saturday will shed more light on how far he has come.

The Rams are closely monitoring how quickly Goff is picking up the offense, how he’s seeing the field, his anticipation in terms of throwing to spots and letting receivers go get the ball, as opposed to aiming for the receivers themselves. Day by day, he’s getting increasingly comfortable.

“You can see it, especially when you go back and hit rewind a few times on the film,” General Manager Les Snead said after Saturday’s practice at the Coliseum. “I always give the quarterback credit because he’s actually doing it without rewind, in real time.”

Snead says he sees a distinct difference between this Goff and the one in Organized Team Activity workouts in the spring. Remember, Goff has had to relearn taking a snap from under center, something he hasn’t done with any regularity since his freshman year of high school.

“In OTAs, he was memorizing the vocabulary words, now he’s applying them,” Snead said, comparing learning the playbook to learning a new language.

First, you learn Spanish words. Then, you use it in everyday life. When you start dreaming in Spanish, then it’s your language.

From the start, Coach Jeff Fisher has made it clear he’s not going to rush Goff onto the field, or put any absolute deadlines on when he needs to get out there. Fisher has taken a when-he’s-ready-we’ll-know approach.

Regardless, when the games are real, Goff should be the starter. The argument against that is the risk of putting a young quarterback out there too early and destroying his confidence. Hey, Aaron Rodgers got to learn at the elbow of a seasoned pro in Green Bay. Same for Philip Rivers in San Diego. But those teams had Brett Favre and Drew Brees as starters. The Rams have Keenum, who is at best a temporary fix.

In 2008, rookie quarterbacks Matt Ryan (drafted third by Atlanta) and Joe Flacco (18th by Baltimore) started every game for their teams and each made NFL history by reaching the playoffs. Since, every rookie quarterback selected No. 1 overall has opened his season as the starter — that’s Matthew Stafford, Sam Bradford, Cam Newton, Andrew Luck and Jameis Winston. So it would actually be breaking with tradition to sit Goff.

No matter when he takes over, Goff will encounter some type of turbulence. Of course there will be a learning curve. But his ability to withstand that is one of the reasons the Rams fell for him in the first place, that he worked through the rough patches and took Cal from 1-11 to 5-7 to 8-5. That included a 55-16 humiliation in a monsoon at Oregon, when the freshman Goff lost two fumbles on the Bears’ first three possessions and was benched near the end of the first quarter. His passing numbers: three for six for 11 yards.

Coach Sonny Dykes resisted the pressure to replace him as the starter after that debacle, and Goff now looks at that moment as one that shaped who he is today. He didn’t crack; he grew from it. The Rams took that into account when they traded up 14 spots to draft him.

Dykes told The Times before the draft that Goff and his family are as “low maintenance” as any people he has encountered as a coach.

“We threw that poor kid to the wolves his first year,” Dykes said. “He just got teed-off on play after play, and nobody ever said a word. Mom and dad were never, ‘Hey, wait a minute guys, what are y’all doing to my son?’ They were just supportive, exactly the kind of people you would want.”

Obviously, a player’s parents aren’t part of that equation in the NFL, but that’s reflective of the fact that Goff is tough, not a Faberge egg to be coddled. He has shown he’s capable of handling pressure, and growing through it.

The Rams open Sept. 12 at San Francisco, and they’ve had months to prepare for that game. If they decide to start Keenum, they’ll have to give him the majority of the snaps in the days and weeks leading up to that, which will slow Goff’s progress.

For Goff, a Monday night start at San Francisco would not only be a homecoming, but would bring the family’s story full circle. His father, Jerry, a former major league catcher, got his first career hit at Candlestick Park. You can bet the researchers at ESPN will have a video clip of that at the ready.

The future is now for Goff, and his team has made lots of gutsy moves to get to this point. Why stop now?

ramsman34

Classic stadium feel. My first time there, this place is old and antiquated – there is only one “seeable” jumbo-tron opposite the Peristyle side. If you, like me are in that end zone, seeing replays, scoreboard, etc. will require turing around 180 degrees. not good. the opposite end “monitors” are terrible and in bright daylight – you can’t seem to see a thing. Maybe a USC fan can help me out on this. What is the view like of the peristyle end scoreboards, etc. during afternoon games? you may not think this important but, at the end when Goff ran the 2-minute drill, you could not see down, distance, time remaining on the scoreboard at that end. it’s too damn tiny.

It was warm and breezy like ’71 said but let me tell you; my face is bright red sunburnt. sunscreen is mandatory for those of us who lack olive skin. LOL.

Beer: $13+ WHAAAAT, no thanks. but, a lot of different food types there. I was impressed with the variety, not the prices.

FYI My end zone seats are pretty nice (sec 13) but my sec. 17 have better sight lines.

Crowd and announcer: I estimated the crowd at 30K, and they/we were pretty loud upon occasion. I do think we will have a home field advantage for the first season, especially if we are winning. If not, the LA factor might kick in (quiet, texting, occasional boos, and leaving early). the announcer was awesome, lol. Very monster truck like deliveries…”PA, who’s house is it…FANS, “rams house” THAT will be a catch phase that all fans will jump on I am sure. Crowd went nuts when he announced “TD, Todd Gurley”. One fan said to me the Rams had 4 years to win a SB – that is how long it took in STL. Interesting take.

Did I mention the sun, lol. No shade anywhere regardless of sideline unless you are under the press box, high up. You are either getting face-baked or red-necked. Sunscreen, don’t forget sunscreen!

Practice:

I watched/enjoyed more than took notes but still have about 3 pages worth.

STs:

Started with some 2-man wedge set up drills, then half field stuff before full on kick returns. Fassel pays attention to detail and this will once again be a strong suit of our team. I saw Mike Thomas and I believe Cooper returning kicks along with Benny.
BTW – Benny looks great? leaner, quicker, faster, more patient – and this is at RB.

WRs – Easy ups and 1 on 1s: Not much to see here. Guys running pretty nice routes and all making almost every catch. However, Spruce and McRoberts have velcro for hands – they rarely if ever drop anything within their vicinity. there were some nice battle btx DBs and WRs, with True getting called for PI at least twice – he was being aggressive and physical – teach them rook WRs Tru!!!

7 v 7 was rather uneventful, a couple TD throws mixed in with some good pass defense, bad throws, drops, and PI.

11 v 11 is once again where my focus was: 1s v 1s – KEENUM

Real quick regarding personnel groups. For those who might not know, the numbering system refers to the number of RBs, then TEs. The total number of eligible pass catchers always = 5. So (00) personnel is an empty set w/ 5 WRs (i will always call this “empty”), (10) = 1 back, 0 TE, 4 WR, (11) = 1 back, 1 TE, 3 WR and so on.

First play, (21 personnel), back shoulder fade to Brit good for 20+
(21) – short motion TE to off set “I”, 90- flip, Gurley, big gain
(11) – Slant to TA off play action, 7yds
(12) – delay handoff to Benny, 6+
(11) Cooper in motion, TA false start; repeat play – outside zone, Benny 9+ (Cooper is back and in a number of situational packages with both the first and second team)

GOFF
(21) Draw, Brown, nice gain
(20 personnel – 2 back, no TEs, 3 WRs) – Ck down to Brown, 7+ this is a look with RB, a fullback who can also then be used as a move TE, and 3-wide.
(12) Quick in motion, “kill” as ’71 stated, check to run EVERY time – that has to change – inside zone play or power 9was watching the d line – blown up by Westbrooks.
(11) against cover-2, draw play, short gain

MANNION – He didn’t get many reps until the live session at the end of the day
(21) – inside run by A. Green that he bounced outside – that was his bread and butter in college. It will work occasionally here. But, he has to accept pressing the hole inside and grinding for 3-4 yds from time to time. It’s the NFL son.
(20) – Draw A. Green for 7
(12) – Motion #9 (Hill), to stack twins right, check down to TE #49 Stoneburner – Great name for a TE. (Elvis, there are 2 #49s on the roster and Darreon Herring is a LB)

11 v 11 RED ZONE – 1s – KEENUM
(11) SACK
(12) – Inside zone off jet action, short gain
(11) – TE curl, Higbee, 7+
(21) Inside run – Benny, short
(12) ck down to Benny TD

GOAL LINE – Exclusively in (23-personel, 2 RB, 3 TE)
first play – SACK – looong developing TE crosser from right side to left corner.
false start
inside run to Benny
oustide zone to TG, TD

11 v 11 RED ZONE – 2s – GOFF
Empty – quick out to Quick, pun intended, 5+
(11) – Draw to Brown – 4
(12) Quick out to Harkey – 4
(11) – off tackle to Reynolds, 10-TD
(11) – same play as before, blown up, defense learns lessons quickly, lol
GOAL LINE – THIS TIME 22-PERSONNEL
Sprint right option, TD – right corner of end zone to TE (not sure who) – BEST PLAY OF THE DAY. It was scary how Goff looked like Montana on this throw. He was absolute money on this throw.
Draw – Brown, TD

2 MINUTE DRILL – 1s – KEENUM
(11) jailbreak screen to TA, blown up
(?) outside zone to Gurley, big gain
missed play 3
(11) – TE short curl – Drop by Kendricks – I agree with 1971; he will be sitting behind Higbee on passing downs if he isn’t careful
(11) – Keenum keeper and slide
(11) – benny outside zone, decent gain
(11) – deep out to Tavon, nice ball by Case, gain of 17+

2 MINUTE DRILL – 2s – GOFF
(11) – Blitz/LB/left side – screen, dropped (39 i think) would have been a nice blitz beater for a decent gain
(?) – Brown inside run, nice gain
(11) – M. Thomas, speed out, 5
(11) outside zone, #34, 4
(11) zone coverage, crosser to “sit” in hole by Marquez – good zone recognition, 5
(11) – draw, 3
(11) M. Thomas, fade for big gain
(11) – quick out to Duke #81, 7

The last session before the “Back-up, nice to see ya Bowl” was mainly blitz pick up. Keenum threw a bad pass on a dig route to Britt only to be picked by Tru, which he then took ceremoniously to the end zone. In empty and against 6 man pressure, Case hit Ta on an out route for a big gain. Then a mis communication btx hm and Kendricks (those footsteps you hear Lance; Tyler Higbee). then hit Britt on a fade for a nice gain
Goff was just ok in this session. Held the ball too long; a 5yd swing, followed by 2 incompletions and a sack.

Goff really shined in his 2 minute work at the end with the 2’s. He connected with Spruce, Thomas, and Duke on a number of impressive throws. Duke heard footsteps on a shallow cross in the end zone, it bounced off him for the near pick. He scored on an out route the very next play.

After Tuesday in Irvine, I was convinced Goff would be the starter…not so fast my friend. After reading Bucky Brook’s article (yes, he knows more than I do about the game and gets to do it full-time, watch lots of film, etc.), I can see where the 2nd string D is not as exotic as the 1st string. and, that Goff is still inconsistent and a bit slow reading post-snap. Al QBs “seem” to lock on to a WR or side of the field but this is what it looks like to fans in the stands. We might be wrong on this. We don’t know the play call and we can’t see the QBs eyes to see if if is staring guys down or looking at multiple routes to one side. Preseason games should reveal more about this.

As it stands today – Keenum is our starter. Goff is progressing but he just has so much left to master to give us a shot at winning. My opinion on this is likely to flip flop multiple times before the SF game – cut me some slack on that, lol. Goff looks awesome when he is on and in rhythm, he looks shakey as hell and rushes throws when he is unsure – makes sense. Keenum is a gamer who has a command of this offense. His arm strength is what it is and renders the deep middle, and dig routes useless areas of the field to attack. He can throw the deep fade when he really anticipates it. Mannion makes the most of his reps and will become a very good #2 for us. He was not a wasted pick as some have opined – Not even close. He looks like a cat that can win you some games if the starter goes down. Better command of the O and pace than Goff, just not a quick or accurate.

Saturday against the Cowboys should be great. I wish I could get a press pass to give RFU a solid report. If I am in the stands, I am just going to watch and not take notes. I don’t think their pass rush/blitzing can beat out O at all. The QBs should have more time than they do against our D and hopefully shred them in the passing game. Look for everyone accept TG to run the rock. He will be bubble wrapped on the sideline, lol.

*

* Goff not ready yet, will be sooner rather than later. His 2-minute drill was great and he is a surgeon in the red zone – been a while since we had that. In fact, with TG, Tavon, the big WRs and the TEs – we should be significantly improved in red zone efficiency, especially when Goff is running the show.

* Another thing on the Coliseum, the field itself looked impeccable and fast. The signage will be nice but understated. this will feel a lot like a college atmosphere vs a real NFL environment. And, that just might be a good thing!

Rampage2K

Awesome day yesterday to say the least…. Just like the Rams did, I also used it as a dry run for what to expect when the games start for real next week.

Unfortunately my buddy had to leave by 4 so I never got to see the actual scrimmage, just some one on ones and a little 7 on 7 before having to leave…wasn’t too bummed knowing I’ll be back there next week for a real game!!! Great seeing some old friends and finally being able to see what my seats look like in real life.

After having a few cold ones in the lot we headed in about 2:30 and went a picked out some seats close to field corner endzone just below my season seats….picked a good spot because that’s where the QB’s came over to work out… It was great!!! Amazing how many showed up for a scrimmage….I estimated over 20,000, but heard it was actually closer to 30,000!!!

Clear to see the NFL made the right choice on who to bring back to So Cal.

Quick observations from the little I saw.

For a hundred year old stadium, it looked beautiful.

Field looked amazing!!! Looked fake how good it looked.

Goff threw a beautiful corner route that dropped in perfectly to Marquez for a TD in the one on ones.

The refs were throwing the flag for everything on the DB’s … I’d hate to be a defensive back in this day and age.

We have some pretty good looking DB’s…not worried about that position at all.

The WR group looks big and athletic and very crowded.

Higbee looks like the real deal.

The PA announcer was annoying.

$16 for a can of Corona

itsjohnben

I’m 27 years old, from Los Angeles, been a Rams fan, my entire life! But never had the chance to attend a St louis Rams practice but always enjoyed reading all the camp reports every summer, so now that the Rams are in Los Angeles, I decided to contribute with a little report of my own.

Location: LA Coliseum Attendance: 30K

Jared Goff: I was extremely impressed with Goff’s performance today! He was nearly perfect today, he completed 98% of his passes, the other 2% of his passes hit the receivers in the hands, but were dropped. He was poised in the pocket, spreading the ball around to multiple rookie pass catchers (Higbee, Thomas, Williams & Spruce) at one point, in the red zone he rolled out and hit one of his receivers (forgot who) in stride, for a perfectly thrown TD pass! Another thing I noticed about Goff is that he’s really good in the red zone, like damn near perfect good, (something we haven’t been really good at in YEARS!

Todd Gurley: IS A BEAST! he looks so much faster this year, if this guy is healthy…LOOK OUT! He’s scary good.

Mike Thomas: Caught a 30 yard bomb from Goff … he’s fast, runs good routes and catches everything thrown his way

Duke Williams: This is another guy that caught my eye, this guy can flat out ball, he’s a big physical receiver that seems to have great chemistry with Goff, He dropped a pass in the end zone but made up for it the very next play by plowing his way and dragging DB’s to the end zone, very Alshon Jeffery like.

Tyler Higbee: or shall I say “Tyler BEASTBEE” This guy is already running with the first team offense and looks like he belongs..standing at 6’6 250 he is a red zone machine, catching multiple TD’s from both Keenum and Goff, I’ll go as far as saying that he’ll be an early offensive rookie of the year candidate..catches everything thrown his way and breaks arm tackles like it’s nobody’s business

Nelson Spruce: had himself a nice day! he’s a great route runner and has soft hands, this dude makes plays…he’s a bigger/faster “Danny Amendola” we’re loaded at WR this year..If he doesn’t make the team, somebody’s gonna snatch him right up

Tavon Austin: TA was TA caught a 10 yard in route and took it to the house..look for him to do more then just jets sweep’s and screen passes this year, he looks like a legit WR threat this year.

Kenny Britt: Look for KB to have a break out year..Keenum was looking his way early and often and KB didn’t disappoint, he caught a nice 35 yard bomb from Keenum.

Offensive Line: This group has me worried as hell..I understand stopping our Defensive Line is task not many offensive lines in this league can accomplish but it seemed like the D-Line was getting constant penetration on every snap… we’d still be trying to pick up our QB’s off the turf if that was a live game situation.

Defensive Line: With out a doubt the best unit on this team..Robert Quinn was man handling Greg Robinson, having his way with him on 1 on 1’s and 11 on 11’s, Will Hayes is Monster!!!! AD99 is unstoppable, even saw him drop in zone coverage at one point and he looked good doing it 😉

Defensive Backs: Tru J0 picked off Keenum and took it to the house and broke up multiple passes, he’s easily our best CB…I’m not sure how I feel about Mo Alexander at FS, I don’t know, maybe I’m wrong but he looked kinda slow out there today.

Greg Zuerlien: Was a perfect 6/6 today even connecting on a 64 yard field goal..very impressive, “Young GZ” he has to be the most hot and cold kicker i’ve ever seen, If he can be consistent this year, he’ll be the best kicker in the league.

Well that’s it for me, I hope you guys enjoyed my little camp report.

Thanks for reading!

So it’s great to see the New York Times (7/29/16) excoriating North Carolina Republicans’ “scurrilous attempt” to “suppress the rising power of black voters.” In a better world, of course, such campaigns would not have enjoyed years of tailwind from media like the Times rhetorically “balancing” claims of potential voter fraud with evidence of actual voter suppression.

In the words of my youth…what a burn. This is typical american mass media bs. That is, NOW the NY Times celebrates a court decision to strike down voter suppression. But back when North Carolina was voting in such restrictions, the NY Times couldn’t be bothered to say that’s what it was:

The issue used to illustrate the argument over false balance is voter fraud. The facts are clear: This is basically a nonexistent problem that Republicans and conservative groups are using to push laws make it more difficult to vote.
The media problem is that reporters treat both sides of this “debate” as if they are more or less equally valid. Sullivan says she’s heard from readers who want the Times to be clear about what the facts are:

In his article, which led last Monday’s paper, the national reporter Ethan Bronner made every effort to provide balance. Some readers say the piece, in so doing, wrongly suggested that there was enough voter fraud to justify strict voter identification requirements–rules that some Democrats believe amount to vote suppression. Ben Somberg of the Center for Progressive Reform said the Times itself had established in multiple stories that there was little evidence of voter fraud.
“I hope it’s not the Times‘s policy to move this matter back into the ‘he said she said’ realm,” he wrote.

Disclosure: Ben Somberg is a former FAIR intern, still doing media criticism.
The most valuable part of Sullivan’s column is here:

The national editor, Sam Sifton, rejected the argument. “There’s a lot of reasonable disagreement on both sides,” he said. One side says there’s not significant voter fraud; the other side says there’s not significant voter suppression.
“It’s not our job to litigate it in the paper,” Mr. Sifton said. “We need to state what each side says.”
Mr. Bronner agreed. “Both sides have become very angry and very suspicious about the other,” he said. “The purpose of this story was to step back and look at both sides, to lay it out.”
While he agreed that there was “no known evidence of in-person voter fraud,” and that could have been included in this story, “I don’t think that’s the core issue here.”

The admissions are remarkable. An editor at the Times likens providing useful context to readers to “litigating” an argument. If you’re a vote-suppressing Republican, this is music to your ears; it confirms that an editor doesn’t seem to think checking the integrity of your argument is the business of the Paper of Record.

link: http://fair.org/media_criticism/at-nyt-she-said-no-to-he-saidshe-said-but-they-said-yes/

.

Enjoy the Rams nostalgia while it lasts

VINCENT BONSIGNORE / STAFF COLUMNIST

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/rams-724920-day-time.html

The nostalgia will wear off at some point. Sooner or later the Rams will blend back into Los Angeles as if they never left for St. Louis and spent two decades away from the region they called home for nearly 50 years.

The magic will fade. The charm of their return will dim. And they’ll reclaim their spot in the L.A. sports landscape as if they’ve been here the whole time.

But it’s going to take awhile.

And as sure as Deacon Jones invented the sack and Jack Youngblood played in Super Bowl XIV with a broken leg, there might be moments that come along over the next few months that take your breath away. Especially if you’re a longtime Angeleno who remembers a time when the Rams stood as tall as the Dodgers and Lakers and USC football.

The recommendation here is to just sit back enjoy it.

It isn’t every day one of the iconic sports teams in town moves away for 22 years only to triumphantly return home.

Which brings us to the sun-splashed afternoon that unfolded Saturday when the Rams stepped foot for the first time in the stadium they called home from 1946-79 and where L.A. sports heroes such as Elroy “Crazy Legs” Hirsch and Merlin Olsen and Norm Van Brocklin and Bob Waterfield and Fred Dryer sprung to life.

And where Todd Gurley and Jared Goff and Aaron Donald and Tavon Austin hope to inject themselves into the L.A. bloodstream.

In the whole scheme of the Rams’ walk-up to their first season back in L.A., Saturday marked practice six of training camp. And if you’ve seen one NFL practice chances are you’ve seen them all.

But it was so much more than that when you consider the Rams left the Coliseum for Anaheim 37 years ago, and when then-owner Carroll Rosenbloom marched his franchise south to Orange County the last place anyone thought they’d ever see the Rams call home again was the Coliseum.

But here they are.

And there they were on Saturday during an open practice in which an estimated 25,000 fans came to watch.

“That was fun.” Rams coach Jeff Fisher said. “That was great. This actually concludes that first phase of training camp and you couldn’t think of a better place to do it then here, in front of the fans in this environment. It was really, really, really fun.”

The nostalgia was everywhere. And Fisher felt it.

The San Fernando Valley native and son of a life-long Rams fan watched the Rams with his dad at the Coliseum back in the day – or, as he explained Saturday: “From way up there in the top some place,” while pointing to the highest section of the Coliseum. “It was one of the greatest moments of my life.”

He then went on to star at USC, where he played four years at the Coliseum, then returned here from time to time during his NFL career.

So to run through the Coliseum tunnel as the head coach of the team he and his dad rooted for was a special moment for Fisher.

“To be able to have the opportunity to play here in college then come back here on numerous occasions during my NFL career was really cool. But this … it was really fun.”

Of course, with this being an actual work day, and with the Dallas Cowboys coming to town in exactly one week to open the preseason, the Rams had business to tend to.

Fisher liked what he saw.

“We definitely got better today as a team,” he said. “I saw good things from everybody.”

Gurley agreed.

“It was a great day of work, especially for the offense,” he said. “We were able to get some of those red zone scores and goal line runs which we really need to get points on the board. So offense and defense, we all got better today.”

The workout followed the typical schedule, which meant an hour in the real pay off for the fans began.

The Rams, dressed out in full pads, transitioned to 11-on-11 drills. And that meant a clean look at the quarterback battle between current starter Case Keenum and Goff, the first-round rookie from Cal.

One week into training camp, it’s obvious the advantage Keenum holds over Goff in play book command and overall polish. And he wasted little time showing that with completions to Kenny Britt and Tavon Austin. In between was a long run from Gurley, the second-year running back, who blew easily past the edge of the Rams defense.

Keenum also connected with rookie tight end Tyler Higbee in 11-on-11 red zone drills, with Higbee doing what he’s done all camp: Using his speed, size and athletic ability beat his defense to the back of the end zone, then leap over him to reel in the pass.

But Goff took some strides forward Saturday with a strong day.

He was initially limited to handoffs when he took over with the second team, but he looked polished during his phase in red zone drills, including a smoothly executed play-action touchdown throw to Jake Stoneburner in the back of the end zone.

But the highlight for Goff was when the Rams put 1:46 on the clock and asked him to run the no-huddle two-minute drill.

He promptly completed five passes – including a strikes to Nelson Spruce and Duke Williams – while driving the Rams down the field, then found Williams crossing through the end zone for a touchdown with 15 seconds remaining.

Fisher was impressed.

“He was locked in, focused and he knew exactly what the game clock was, what the play clock was, the timeouts,” Fisher said. “He had a good day today.”

Goff said he’s feeling more and more comfortable each day, and he showed that on Saturday. The two-minute drill culminating his first week in training camp.

“A lot of those plays, we’ve run a lot, so I felt really comfortable,” Gof said. “We didn’t run anything out of the ordinary, so it was good. “

Based on crowd reaction, it’s obvious the people’s choice at quarterback is Keenum, who came off the bench last year to lead the Rams to a 3-1 record over the first four games in place if Nick Foles.

Goff will get the job eventually. Not in time for the Cowboys game. But soon enough.

And after a day mixed with nostalgia and work, the Rams were pleased to finish their first week of camp on a positive note in former and current home.

“It was cool be able to play in the Coliseum for the fist time and get a reaction,” Gurley said. “It was cool.”

Rams move into Coliseum, hold open practice

Rich Hammond,

http://www.dailynews.com/sports/20160806/rams-move-into-coliseum-hold-open-practice

It’s been 90 years since the Chicago Bears and Grange, their star halfback, traveled here for an exhibition at the Coliseum against a loosely organized team of college all-stars dubbed the Los Angeles Tigers.

The Coliseum’s first (unofficial) pro football game took place in daylight, because it had no lights in 1926. Now the iconic stadium shines brightly as the unlikely home of an NFL team for the first time in 22 years. The venue, and part of town, once given up for dead by owners soon will become vibrant on Sundays.

The Rams moved in Saturday afternoon, and held an open practice that drew nearly 30,000 fans. It marked a homecoming for a team that played in the Coliseum from 1946-79, then spent 15 years in Anaheim before a two-decade St. Louis sojourn. Los Angeles’ original major pro sports franchise has returned to its roots.

“For those people to be able to come back and bring their child or even grandchild, I don’t mean to sound corny, but it’s so special that it’s off the charts,” Coliseum general manager Joe Furin said this week.

Next Saturday, the Rams host Dallas in the preseason opener, so while Saturday’s practice was billed as a fan event, its practical purpose was as a dry run for a stadium that hasn’t hosted the NFL since 1994.

The Rams simulated a game situation, from player parking to locker-room setup to communication among coaches, even down to assistant coaches attempting to navigate the Coliseum’s sparse elevator setup.

“It’s just to get us into the groove,” said Bruce Warwick, the Rams’ director of operations. “When we show up next week against the Dallas Cowboys and there’s 80,000-plus people there, that’s not the time to figure things out.”

The Coliseum hasn’t been vacant. The Rams left in 1979, followed by the Raiders in 1995, but USC never left. And while the Coliseum has been a serviceable home for a college football team, it is 93 years old and in dire need of more than a fresh coat of paint.

USC has pledged $270 million in upgrades, to be completed before the start of the 2019 season, but the Rams will be gone by then, off to their to-be-built $2.4-billion stadium in Inglewood.

So, the Coliseum upgrades became reprioritized, and some were completed this summer ahead of schedule. All eight of the major lighting stanchions were redone, with brighter and more energy-efficient LED lights. Upgrades were made to communications, electrical, plumbing and sewer systems.

NFL-mandated security procedures now require all fans to walk through metal detectors and prevent them from bringing most bags into the stadium. Otherwise, Rams and Coliseum officials say, most of the logistics of game days will remain the same.

“The Rams have been extremely accommodating,” Furin said, “to the point of saying, `If it works on Saturday, there’s no point in reinventing the wheel. Make it work on Sunday.’ They recognize that they’re a guest, a tenant. We want to make them feel at home.”

To the greatest extent possible, the Coliseum looked like the Rams’ place. Many of the red USC-themed banners and stadium art were covered by blue and white Rams banners. The locker-room floor still has a large interlocking “SC” logo, but the walls were covered in Rams items.

“We wanted the inner bowl and the locker room to kind of feel like a home game,” Warwick said. “We’re in no rush to do every single space in the Coliseum. They’re going to see a lot of USC stuff, but at least on television and in the stadium, it will look like a Rams game.”

The Rams and the Coliseum made things look good Saturday, but still face significant challenges, some of which have no feasible solution. Locker-room space, for instance, will be cramped.

Parking will be a challenge, in terms of availability and cost. Saturday’s “free” practice came with a $20 parking charge, and a lot across the street from the Coliseum was charging $40 per car.

Three times this season, USC and the Rams will play on back-to-back days. An enormous amount of resources will be required to clean the stadium and change over all the internal signage.

“It is frenetic, and people will be running hither and fro, but it’s what we do,” Furin said. “We swap over. We’ve gone from USC football to soccer games. We’ve had changeovers in the past. This is just another one. It might be a little more complex, but it’s just more bodies at 3 in the morning getting it done. It’s not necessarily the easiest thing in the world, but we have confidence that it’s going to happen.”

Then there’s the field. The grass, even after a normal practice, receives a lot of wear and tear. Should USC play a night game and the Rams follow with a 1 p.m. game, the Coliseum crew might have only 12 hours to make the grass look playable.

“Sure, it’s going to take some wear and tear,” Warwick said. “During our bye weeks, we’ll see if they can re-sod some things, but we’ll figure it out. They’ve got a good grounds staff.”

There will be issues down the line, also. The major parts of USC’s Coliseum renovation will take place in 2018, while the Rams are still tenants, and the pending demolition of the neighboring Sports Arena will cost Coliseum officials some of their storage space and staging arenas for stadium workers.

Still, there’s optimism, even among players, who, Warwick noted, will be happy to be playing outside and on grass, as opposed to their previous domed home in St. Louis.

It’s also, in some cases, a personal homecoming. Rams safety T.J. McDonald played four years at the Coliseum for USC and joked that he would attempt to reclaim his own locker at the start of the season.

“I’ve tried to think about it, and how I’m going to feel, but I can’t really put it into words,” McDonald said. “I’ve just got to do it. After leaving there, I never thought I’d be playing there again. I think it’s a blessing, and I’m excited. I can’t wait for the opportunity.”

Jared Goff continues to make progress during Rams scrimmage at the Coliseum

Gary Klein

http://www.latimes.com/sports/rams/la-sp-rams-scrimmage-20160806-snap-story.html

He has yet to take a first-team snap in a training-camp practice.

He has not stared across the line of scrimmage at middle linebacker Alec Ogletree, felt pressure from two-time Pro Bowl tackle Aaron Donald or tried to fit a pass by franchise cornerback Trumaine Johnson.

But Rams rookie quarterback Jared Goff is making progress.

He took another step Saturday during a workout at the Coliseum, which doubled as a showcase before tens of thousands of fans.

“I’m starting to settle in a little bit,” Goff said.

The crowd cheered just about every move the Rams made during a 2 1/2-hour workout that ended with players signing autographs.

The Coliseum, home to USC, was outfitted with Rams signage.

“Walking down the tunnel for the first time, for some of these guys, was a cool experience,” said Coach Jeff Fisher, who played defensive back at USC and coached in the stadium as an NFL assistant.

Goff was the main attraction for many fans.

He ran onto the field to cheers and received more after he completed a long pass to rookie receiver Michael Thomas. Goff was nearly perfect during a two-minute drill that ended with a touchdown pass to rookie receiver Duke Williams.

Goff’s next test comes Saturday night when the Dallas Cowboys visit the Coliseum for the near sold-out exhibition opener that might have the buildup and electricity of a playoff game. It will be the first NFL game at the Coliseum since 1994, the Raiders’ final season in Los Angeles.

After going through pre-draft workouts, rookie orientation, organized team activities and nearly two weeks of training-camp activities, Goff, the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft, is eager to finally play in a game.

“It seems like a long time coming,” he said.

Fisher said this week that Case Keenum would start against the Cowboys and that Goff would probably play a half.

Keenum had one pass intercepted Saturday but otherwise performed efficiently and connected with receivers and tight ends for several touchdowns during drills.

Fisher said Goff has worked with the first-team offense during walk-throughs and that he may get some work with the starters during practice this week.

He pointed to Saturday’s two-minute drill as an example of how far Goff has come.

“He was locked in, focused and he knew exactly where the play clock was,” Fisher said, adding, “It was good for him to finish up on a really good note.

“And now he can get his mind right for next weekend.”

Goff anticipates another strong reception from fans when the Rams play the Cowboys.

“Right now they’re very happy to see us,” he said, “and hopefully we can keep it that way.”

Star power

Running back Todd Gurley was one of the last players to come out onto the field, and fans had no trouble recognizing him.

“It was cool just to be able to play in the Coliseum for our first time and get a reaction,” Gurley said.

Gurley went through drills but he is expected to play sparingly during the exhibition season as the Rams attempt to protect one of their most valuable assets.

Gurley, the 10th pick in the 2015 draft, did not take an exhibition snap last season as he was still recovering from a knee injury suffered during his final season at Georgia.

Leg up

Kicker Greg Zuerlein wowed the crowd by kicking a 64-yard field goal.

Zuerlein made 20 of 30 field-goal attempts last season.

Fisher said in March that Zuerlein needed to compete for the spot this season.

Taylor Bertolet, who played at Texas A&M, also is in camp.

Notes

Third-team quarterback Sean Mannion completed a touchdown pass to receiver Nelson Spruce during a live tackling drill for younger players at the end of practice…. Cornerback E.J. Gaines remained sidelined because of a hamstring issue…. The Rams are off Sunday. They will resume practice Monday at UC Irvine.

Rich Hammond @Rich_Hammond
Undrafted WR Nelson Spruce having a nice little afternoon in team drills. Just caught TD from Sean Mannion.

Rich Hammond @Rich_Hammond
And that appears to be a wrap on practice drills. Nice crisp 2 hour, 25-minute practice…

==

Todd Gurley. Popular guy. pic.twitter.com/mwvCWIIjwx

— Lindsey Thiry (@LindseyThiry) August 7, 2016

Ryan Kartje ‏@Ryan_Kartje
Case Keenum goes vertical for the 1st play of today’s scrimmage period. Nice completion to Kenny Britt.

Down With Damon ‏@DownWithDamon 44m44 minutes ago
Case Keenum is for sure the starter for the Rams.. For now at least.. #RamsFamilyDay #RamsCamp

Joe Curley ‏@vcsjoecurley
Teams period ends. I don’t have Keenum or Goff with an incompletion. Lot of runs. One nice downfield completion from Keenum to Britt.

Ryan Kartje ‏@Ryan_Kartje
Jared Goff’s best throw of the day is a laser down the field to Michael Thomas, 25ish yards. That was on a ROPE.

Ryan Kartje ‏@Ryan_Kartje
Tyler Higbee might not be polished yet, but I’m becoming more of a believer each practice. He’s a matchup nightmare.

Lindsey Thiry ✔ @LindseyThiry
Case Keenum completed about a 15 yard touchdown pass to Tyler Higbee in the back corner of the end zone. Higbee is a standout rookie.

Rich Hammond ✔ @Rich_Hammond
Doesn’t take much imagination to see Tyler Higbee as a major red-zone target for Rams this season.

Joe Curley @vcsjoecurley
Beautiful 1-yard playaction TD pass from Keenum to Higbee in red zone drill. Across grain.

Lindsey Thiry ✔ @LindseyThiry
Rams kicker Greg Zuerlein just nailed a 64-yard field goal in the Coliseum.

Rich Hammond ✔ @Rich_Hammond
Rams did no-tackle 11-11 drill. 27 plays. Stat estimates: Keenum 6-6, 53 yds, 1 TD; Goff 4-4, 29 yds, 1 TD. Many short TD runs.