The Rams Are Ready to Fight

Greg Bishop

http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2015/08/19/st-louis-rams-training-camp-report

Greg Bishop’s, reporting from an intense Rams/Cowboys joint practice in Oxnard, Calif., says the St. Louis defensive line is among the best in the league, which leaves playoff hopes on the shoulders of new quarterback Nick Foles

Site: Oxnard, Calif.

What I saw: Tuesday, Aug. 18, 75 degrees and sunny, for an afternoon scrimmage between the Rams and the Cowboys. That and three brawls between two teams that are as sick of training camp as everybody in the NFL is at this point in the summer.

What I heard, post-fisticuffs: From a Rams’ employee, after both teams called an early end to the scrimmage: “That’s the worst one I’ve seen in 18 years.” From the former baseball manager Tommy Lasorda, to Cowboys coach Jason Garrett: “Sometimes, a team needs to get fired up.”

Three things you need to know about the Rams:

1. Nick Foles looks like more than a serviceable starter. He looks like he just might be the reason the Rams can make the playoffs. That’s why St. Louis with Philadelphia this offseason, sending Sam Bradford and his litany of injuries to the Eagles in exchange for Foles. By all accounts, Foles is healthy after a broken collarbone sidelined him for the second half of last season. To that end, the Rams have already inked Foles to a two-year extension before he’s taken a single regular-season snap. On Tuesday he followed his worst throw (an interception by cornerback Tyler Patmon) with a touchdown pass to tight end Jared Cook. Throughout the scrimmage, Foles looked comfortable in the West Coast scheme of offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti, who was previously the team’s quarterbacks’ coach. Where the Rams offense held the team back in recent seasons, perhaps Foles will give them enough to contend in the NFC West.

2. The Rams’ choice to spend two days practicing at a site an hour or so (or longer, depending on traffic) outside Los Angeles seemed to hit a little too close to home. Or, too close to their potential future home, anyway. Much of the offseason NFL chatter centered on one or two of three teams—the Rams, Raiders and Chargers—moving to L.A. Then the Rams showed up in Oxnard, and fans wore the throwback jerseys of the best Rams from their late L.A. period—Eric Dickerson, Henry Ellard. On Monday, Rams owner Stan Kroenke came to practice, as did a fathead poster of Kroenke that someone waved in the stands. Anyway, it all seemed to point to a future where the Rams don’t just train occasionally in this area, but play here, too.

3. For a team that last made the playoffs after the 2004 season—the longest drought in the NFC—the Rams showed on Tuesday that they’re willing to fight.

And fight.

And fight.

It got ugly. There were players fighting without helmets, players throwing other players on the ground and players running between practice fields once the teams were separated to start the skirmishes anew. At one point, one kerfuffle nearly spilled into the stands. You could see guard Brandon Washington mixing it up, along with running back Tre Mason and tackle Greg Robinson and Cook. At one point, Mason knocked the helmet off a Cowboy, and one of his teammates handed the helmet to a fan in the stands. Anyway, the Rams won’t dethrone the Seahawks without, well, without a fight. If this was a harbinger for the season that lies ahead, they’ll take it.

Five dot-dot-dot observations: Last season’s 6-10 record marked the 10th straight year that the Rams failed to a) make the playoffs or b) finish above .500. You can see there’s an urgency to end that streak (maybe a little too much urgency, or too much urgency to end practice, anyway) … The Rams are still expected to field a team among the youngest, if not the youngest, in the NFL. Their longest-tenured veteran is defensive end Chris Long, now in his eighth season … Speaking of, the St. Louis offensive line will feature a first-time starter at center—either Tim Barnes, Barrett Jones, or Demetrius Rhaney—and two draft picks on the right side in right tackle Rob Havenstein and right guard Jamon Brown … One player the Rams likely didn’t want to see headed toward the brawl was Todd Gurley, their first-round pick – their recovering-from-serious-injury first-round pick. He had his left knee wrapped in ice as the scrimmage neared its conclusion, then twice ran toward the fracas, not away from it. The Rams don’t expect Gurley to play this preseason, and they want to take the time to make sure he fully recovers … Keep an eye on Kenny Britt, who recorded 48 catches, 748 receiving yards and three touchdowns last season. He’s only 26.

What will determine success or failure for the Rams: Scoring enough points to win. It sounds simple, right? But the Rams scored fewer than 10 points in four games last season and fewer than 20 in half their contests, some of which they even won. With a defensive line that looks like one of the best in football, all they need is for Foles and the offense to be steady and score enough in order to, at minimum, contend.

The one name on the roster I’d forgotten about: Jeff Garcia, a four-time Pro Bowl quarterback now in his first season as an offensive assistant, after a stint in the CFL with Montreal. Garcia looks like he can still play, but maybe this season, with Foles, he won’t be needed.

Player I saw and really liked: Robinson. The second-year tackle out of Auburn shed roughly 15 pounds this offseason, according to his teammates. He also had surgery on a toe. Those factors combined to make him lighter and faster and more nimble, which is good for Foles and Gurley and Mason and an offense on the rise toward respectability.

The thing I’ll remember about Oxnard: Seeing the Cowboys set up at a Residence Inn, which is part of the Marriott hotel chain and a favorite spot for journalists, not football players. No frills here. Just the kind of mini-apartments that lend themselves perfectly to the modest expense accounts for out-of-town writers—and a football team intent on marching toward the playoffs. The Rams, it should be noted, stayed nearby for the scrimmage—in a Four Seasons.

Gut feeling as I left camp: The Rams do not wrestle the NFC West away from the Seahawks. But they do make the playoffs as a Wild Card team behind a Top 5 defense.

Cornelius

I made the hour and a half drive up to Oxnard yesterday with my son, to watch the Rams/Cowboys practice yesterday – and we had a blast. The facility was packed with Rams fans, and the Rams chants dominated the afternoon.

The Rams receivers were working out against the cowboys DB’s right in front of us, and even though it was a basic one on one drill, the Rams receivers seemed to get the best of the Cowboys. Stedman Bailey was VERY impressive. His route running was by far the best (IMHO) and he caught everything thrown his way. They need to make him a bigger part of the offense this year.

Throughout the day, Kenny Britt really stood out for me. Besides being a large, cut human being, he was the most animated player on the field. He was the first to congratulate a fellow receiver when they made a big play, and he was constantly jawing with the cowboys players – mostly in fun. When the 11 on 11 started, he again was full of energy on the sideline, getting his teammates pumped up and interacting with the crowd. At one point, he worked his way down the fence and high fived 20 yards worth of fans, saying “I love you guys, I love you guys”. My 9 year old was one of the fans to get a high five and it made his day. When the many fights broke out, Britt was always in there defending his teammates and not afraid to mix it up. While he is not for everybody – and I imagine he could be the type of player that gets under the skin of opposing teams/fans, I am glad he is on the Rams. I hope he has a great season.

Rams Head Coach Jeff Fisher– 8/18/15

(Opening statement)
“We got through a day and three quarters and we had really good work and then unfortunately things got out of hand and we shut it down. It’s unfortunate. There’s no excuse for it. You can’t blame it on anybody. It just happened. One thing led to another and it happened. It’s unfortunate. Fortunately, nobody got hurt. I think both teams came out of two good practice sessions healthy. We got a lot of good work and it’s unfortunate about the end. I’m not going to minimize it because we’re not going to focus on it. We’ll get it corrected. There’s no place for that in our game. There’s no place for that from the standpoint of being role models in this game and representing this game for kids. There’s no place. That’s not how this game goes, so we’re sorry about that and I know (Cowboys Head Coach) Jason (Garrett) will echo the same thing. I’ll talk about what we got done: we got some really good work. It was very, very competitive. We got to play a lot of people. Now we’ve got to move on.

“We had originally planned on coming back out here tomorrow. The Cowboys had a day off and we were going to use the facility. We’ve decided against that. We’ve got a tired team. We’re going to emphasize recovery. We’re going to go over to Point Mugu Naval Base and visit with the soldiers and get out a little bit early so we can get out and get some rest and go back on the practice field in St. Louis on Thursday and prepare to get ready for the Titans.”

(On what he took away from the Oxnard practices)
“That’s a good football team over there. They won 12 games. We’re a young team. We matched-up and we got some things done. There were some great 1-on-1 battles and some great team efforts and great special teams work. It was extremely valuable. I’d be the first one to say I’d love to come back and practice against the Cowboys again because they’re a talented team. It’s a class organization.”

(On if he was disappointed that they couldn’t get the fight under control)
“I had it under control and (Cowboys QB) Tony (Romo) wanted to go to a two-minute drive but we didn’t want to let it go any more. Once the emotions started out here, in game situations it’s different. Once the emotions got going, I didn’t trust that. We got enough good work in.”

(On if you have a moment where you hope nobody is hurt)
“Yeah, I mean guys swinging with helmets on, there’s no good, it makes no sense. The only thing that happens is you’re going to hurt yourself.”

(On if he could understand why his players were upset)
“There were probably a number of things that happened out there today. Some not intentional. Some intentional. We had a practice tempo that we had agreed upon and for the most part we were okay. Both teams have young players that are trying to make the team and sometimes they go beyond what’s expected or what the rest of the guys are doing. So, we’ll look at it, but we’ll move on. I’m glad nobody got hurt.”

(On CB Trumaine Johnson’s progress)
“It all goes back to what he’s done this offseason. He was there every day, he’s worked, he’s taken care of his body and he’s determined. If you get in that third and fourth year and play like he has, you should start making those plays when you have that kind of ability.”

(On what they will do tomorrow)
“We’re going to have a walk-thru and we’re going to emphasize recovery. Then we’re going to go over to Point (Mugu) Naval Base and we’re going to visit with soldiers for 45 minutes to an hour before we head back.”

(On visiting with the soldiers)
“Yeah, it’s something that was part of this trip. Once we agreed to come here, we kind of looked around and said, ‘Where are they?’ and found them, so we’re going to spend some time with the tomorrow.”

(On if the schedule will change this week)
“No, nothing’s going to change. We’ll go 5:30 (p.m.) on Thursday. Friday is a player day off and then we’ll come in and have a walk-thru and then travel down to Nashville.”

Rams LB James Laurinaitis– 8/18/15

(On his takeaway from the brawl)
“I don’t know. I was over there playing, trying to get our defensive calls and could see it over here. I’m sure some of our defensive guys went over to kind of stick up for each other. But that’s never the intention when you come out here. There’s a fine line between defending yourself, so to speak, versus instigating it. You want to defend your teammates, but you never want it to turn into that, so I’m just glad nobody got hurt.”

(On if he’s ever called plays for a three man defense)
“It was. They were about to snap the ball and I was the only guy over there, so I just kept kicking it. I’ll keep taking the penalty over and over until I could get my guys back, so that was a first.”

(On if the tone changed from yesterday’s workout)
“No, I mean yesterday we had a good day against them. We expected some push back. Anytime you have the same team back-to-back, there’s always going to be trash talk. There’s trash talk when we go against each other. But it never should escalate to that. But, I believe we got better these last two days, I really do. I think we got some really good work in against obviously a playoff team. What an awesome opportunity.”

(On if he was glad they called off practice)
“Anytime you can get some time off practice in training camp, you enjoy it. So, I don’t know, maybe that was the scheme of some of our veteran guys, get this thing called off, no. I would’ve like to at least finish because we were getting such good work. It’s challenging going against them and so I would’ve liked to finish, but I’m not complaining that I have a few less reps on these legs.”

(On if it’s fun to line up against the Cowboys)
“Yeah I mean, talk about a challenge for us. You’re guarding running backs that you don’t see every single day. So when you do for instance, one-on-ones, when you do it against your own team, you start to learn the tendencies of your own guys. You know what routes they’re really good at and what they’re not good at. When you go out here blind against guys that you don’t see every day, it makes you get that much better at what you’re doing. And then gosh, to go against guys like (Cowboys TE Jason) Witten, who’s going to be a Hall of Famer, it’s an awesome challenge and an awesome experience.”

(On if it’s weird to be a player in the middle of fan bases with all of the LA fans)
“You know what, to be honest with you, I don’t really think about it. I really just relish this trip as a way for us to get better. Coach spoke to about it to us and said, ‘Hey, with the limited amount of hits we get in practice now and you don’t really get a whole lot of time in a lot of the preseason games, so when you practice against another team like this, it’s like trying to sneak in a fifth preseason game.’ This camp already, we’ve already had the pads on more than usual. I think that’s really good for our football team. I think we need that, because we’ve started slow the last three years. So, what better way to try to teach us to start fast against the NFC Champs coming to our place than to put the pads on and go on.”

(On having the day off tomorrow)
“Yeah, I mean, that’s what coach does best. He always kind of finds a way to get us our legs back. He always says you come into camp in the best shape of your life and then you kind of break down, break down. How can we get you back up to that? That’s just kind of one of those things that he is just trying to get our legs back to where we were.”

(On what it means to go to the base tomorrow)
“It’s awesome. To be able to be with the military, any time we do it, when we do it back in St. Louis, it’s one of my favorite things at the end of camp when we go over there. To be there and to sign autographs for our troops, I mean, it just puts life in perspective. We’re out here playing a game that we love and they’re the ones that are defending our country, so I wish that it was kind of flipped around and we could be getting their autographs in a way to kind of really salute them.”

Rams DE Chris Long– 8/18/15

(On how he thinks the match-up went against the Cowboys’ offensive line)
“I thought it was a great battle. You know, they’re really at the top of their game. They have one of the best young players in (G) Zack (Martin). I hope he’s alright. I don’t know what happened with him. They have (T) Tyron (Smith) over there at left tackle, who’s a lead at his position. Certainly, we have two of the best guys in the league at their positions in (DT) Aaron (Donald) and (DE) Rob (Quinn) and we’re very deep and they’re deep as well, so it was a good match-up.”

(On what his vantage point was when things got out of hand)
“Everybody was right in the middle of it. So I mean…listen we didn’t come here to do that, but you know, they’re very competitive. We’re very competitive. There’s a lot riding on everything for all of us. When you’re out here for two days, I’m not going to say it’s inevitable, but things happen.”

(On if he has ever witnessed a continuous fight)
“I don’t know. I’ll watch NFL Network later and see how long it looked. It seemed like it went on for a while because we were in it, but maybe it was pretty quick. I don’t know.”

(On if the main concern is safety)
“That is the main thing. As far as we know, no one got hurt, so it’s…these things happen. Got out of hand, we wish it didn’t. It’s a violent sport and it’s a very competitive sport, and these are a bunch of competitive grown men.”

(On Coach Fisher’s message to the team before coming to play against the Cowboys)
“Fish was very adamant about that. You know, we’re here to compete and get better, and we’re here to prepare for Seattle. We’re not here to fight. We’re not here to do the things that we see on TV. Some things are really tough. You know, all it takes is one real, bad scuffle and everybody’s involved. So it happens. We have respect for them. They have respect for us. It happened.”

(On his summary of how the two days in Oxnard went)
“Competitive. Productive. It was unique. I haven’t done that in seven years. You know, it was good for me as a player. Well for one, I haven’t practiced in a while, but you practice against different guys than you see all camp and that’s what you’re going to see every week is different guys. Having to come here, hit the ground running and play different guys that have different sets and play things differently, it’s good for you.”

(On if he thinks these practices were a distraction with the fans yelling LA)
“No distraction. I mean we are appreciative of our fans wherever they are. Obviously they did a great job of coming to support us. We have great fans in St. Louis too. We’re not here to choose sides. We’re here to play football. We’re appreciative of all of our fans.”

(On if he was trying to break up the fight or make sure none of his teammates got hurt)
“It’s a fine line between breaking things up and getting in on it. So you know.”

(On him looking physically equipped today)
“Thank you. Put that in the paper. You know, I feel good. I dropped some weight this year to try to be quicker. I’m not 23(-years old) anymore, so it’s helped me a lot. I feel like playing at that weight, I can be destructive and really get off the ball and cause problems.”

(On if he had the chance to meet Rosey Grier)
“Yeah, I’ve met him before. You know, he just had a really good message for us. You know, cherish the time. He really enjoyed his time with the Fearsome Foursome, and him being the last one left is pretty special to get to meet a guy like that who’s a big part of our history.”

(On getting to play against stars like WR Dez Bryant and QB Tony Romo and TE Jason Witten)
“We were just starstruck to be on the field with them.”

(On the level of competition being different)
“Oh no. Anytime, you know those guys as far as a one, two, three are as good as pretty much any one-two-three. I don’t know. I haven’t sat down and thought about it. Dez is at the top of his position group. Tony is too, and Jason is a Hall of Famer. So that’s tough. Yeah.”

Brawl brings early end to Rams-Cowboys practice

Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/brawl-brings-early-end-to-rams-cowboys-practice/article_417b3cd3-4d83-5193-b06a-225daf433843.html

OXNARD, CALIF. • The Rams’ starting defense was backed up near the goal line during a red zone drill against the Dallas starting offense Tuesday when linebacker James Laurinaitis started calling out the defensive signals.

Suddenly, Laurinaitis noticed he was the only member of the Rams’ front seven still on the field. In fact, Laurinaitis and cornerback Janoris Jenkins were the only Rams defenders there.

“They were about to snap the ball, and I was the only guy over there,” Laurinaitis said. “That’s why I kept kicking the ball — keep taking the penalty over and over until I get my guys back. That was a first.”

Where did everybody else go?

Over to the adjacent field at the Cowboys’ practice field where a mega-brawl was breaking out between members of the Rams’ offense and the Dallas defense.

So was the defense running to break up the brawl, or join in?

“There’s a fine line between breaking things up and getting in on it,” defensive end Chris Long said. “So, you know …”

Call it a little bit of both. Before all was said and done, there were about four or five spinoff brawls. Much, but not all, of the scuffling took place by the fence and bleachers filled with “Los Angeles” Rams fans.

Including Cowboys backers, there were 5,843 fans in attendance Tuesday, down 2,000 from Monday.

(So perhaps interest in the LA Rams here already is waning.)

Things simmered down just long enough for the Cowboys to finish the final 20 minutes of practice by themselves, working on the 2-minute drill, on one field. Meanwhile, the Rams sat on turf on the other field, cooling off.

The Rams assembled in a team huddle for a while, and then were hustled onto their team busses. Their team hotel here is about 25 minutes away from the Cowboys’ training camp site. The Rams were scheduled to practice on their own here Wednesday (the Cowboys have a day off).

But saying his team was tired, coach Jeff Fisher canceled Wednesday’s practice. The Rams will have a walk-through Wednesday here, visit troops at the Point Mugua Naval Air Station, and then fly back to St. Louis.

“Well, we got through a day and three-quarters and we had really good work,” Fisher said afterwards. “And then unfortunately, things got out of hand and we shut it down. It’s unfortunate, there’s no excuse for it. We can’t blame it on anybody, it just happened. One thing led to another and it happened.

“Fortunately nobody got hurt. … There’s no place for that in our game. There’s no place for that from a standpoint of being role models in this game and representing this game for kids. That’s not how this game goes. So we’re sorry about that.”

If there was going to be a brawl it figured to be on the other field where the Rams’ defense worked against the Dallas offense on Monday and Tuesday. That’s where Rams cornerback Trumaine Johnson engaged in almost non-stop trash-talking for two days with the Dallas offense.

During a one-on-one red zone drill, Johnson’s jaw-jacking intensified with Cowboys receivers and even quarterback Tony Romo. It reached the point at which Cowboys star Dez Bryant, who sat out these practices because of a hamstring injury, lined up over Johnson ready to run a pass pattern.

Cowboys offensive coordinator Scott Linehan, a former Rams head coach, had to step in to get Bryant off the line of scrimmage.

Instead, the brawling took place maybe half an hour later on the other field. It looked as if the first scrum started when first Randy Gregory and then Jeff Heath of the Cowboys’ defense took down Rams running back Tre Mason — and took him down hard.

Tempers flared. And just when it looked like things had calmed down from that scuffle, Rams offensive tackle Greg Robinson and Mason went after Gregory. That led to brawl No. 2. And the players just kept brawling. Before it was over, Jared Cook and Eugene Sims took blindside shots at Dallas players.

Rams first-round draft pick Todd Gurley, who remains limited to individual drills as he finishes off his rehab from knee surgery, was right in the middle of the fracas, attempting to pull down a Dallas player. Rookie corner Imoan Claiborne punched Bryant with a right jab to the face.

Even Afghanistan war hero Daniel Rodriguez of the Rams was seen tossing the helmet of Cowboys defensive back J.J. Wilcox into the stands.

“We didn’t come here to do that,” Long said. “They’re very competitive; we’re very competitive. There’s a lot riding on everything for all of us. And when you’re out here for two days, I’m not gonna say it’s inevitable, but things happen.”

Things certainly “happened” Tuesday.

RAM-BLINGS

Not practicing for the Rams Tuesday were offensive linemen Rodger Saffold and Cody Wichmann; linebacker Korey Toomer; cornerback Brandon McGee; defensive tackle Doug Worthington; wide receiver Isiah Ferguson, and of course, linebacker Daren Bates and cornerback E.J. Gaines.• Rams staff members will distribute lunches to senior citizens at the Clyde C. Jordan Center in East St. Louis on Wednesday, Friday, and Aug. 26.• Wearing a cast on his left hand, tight end Brad Smelley has returned to practice.

• Craig and Laura Ebel of Victorville, Calif., celebrated their 24th wedding anniversary Monday by watching the Rams practice with the Cowboys in Oxnard.

This takedown of Tre Mason by Randy Gregory is what started the brawl. Thx sharpie2626 pic.twitter.com/mKO2pbtW6F

— Jim Thomas (@jthom1) August 19, 2015

More here:

http://dal.247sports.com/Bolt/WATCH-Cowboys-Rams-involved-in-WWE-style-brawl-38815976

@DezBryant takes a shot from #Rams FB Zach Laskey during the brawl. Video credit @arnoldpayne #WFAACowboys pic.twitter.com/L3qPVgWqp2

— Joe Trahan (@JoeTrahan) August 19, 2015

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwFYGmKuI28

I was watching Rams defense on other field, but told it all started when Randy Gregory dumped Tre Mason.

— Jim Thomas (@jthom1) August 19, 2015

@jthom1 G Rob got his helmet ripped off and then attacked a Cowboys DE.

— Christopher Dowell (@pikebishop) August 19, 2015

Second fight started when DE Randy Gregory threw Rams 77 to ground. Rams OT came from behind and jumped Gregory from behind. They went at it

— Brandon George (@DMN_George) August 19, 2015

Rosey Grier of Fearsome Foursome fame talking to Rams D-line. pic.twitter.com/Dfwt6xBMEf

— Jim Thomas (@jthom1) August 18, 2015

Jerry Jones has even come down to check on Zack Martin. Huge concern right now on Cowboys sideline.

— Charean Williams (@NFLCharean) August 18, 2015

Zack Martin walking off without assistance. Going to locker room with head athletic trainer Jim Maurer. pic.twitter.com/5bQyBlAz1w

— Schuyler Dixon (@apschuyler) August 18, 2015

Fun one-on-one session between Rams CBs and Cowboys WRs. Tru Johnson showed out. Couple of good PBUs.

— Myles Simmons (@MylesASimmons) August 18, 2015

Trumaine Johnson continues talking trash almost non-stop w/Romo, Cowboys WRs.

— Jim Thomas (@jthom1) August 18, 2015

The intensity is increasing at #Cowboys & #Rams practice… Getting chippy…

— Pat Doney (@PatDoneyNBC5) August 18, 2015

Rams WRs pretty much dominated Cowboys CBs there. Best CB was Tyler Patmon

— Dan Turner (@dtsturner) August 18, 2015

Dez Bryant: There'd be no talking if I was out there. They can hold me all they want, I'll catch it any way

— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) August 18, 2015

Looked for a second like Johnson and Bryant would go head-to-head….but the coaches shut that down before it got going.

— Myles Simmons (@MylesASimmons) August 18, 2015

Looks like Saffold will be sitting today out. He's considered day-to-day at this point with a right shoulder injury.

— Myles Simmons (@MylesASimmons) August 18, 2015

Is 2015 make-or-break year for Jeff Fisher?

Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/20458/is-2015-make-or-break-year-for-jeff-fisher

From the outside, there’s every reason to believe that there’d be a lot of scrutiny on St. Louis Rams coach Jeff Fisher as he enters his fourth season with the team.

To this point, the Rams have yet to post a winning record or even reach. 500 under Fisher. Granted, Fisher has elevated the Rams from awful to mediocre, but the team has yet to take the next step. But does that make 2015 a make-or-break season?

Over at Grantland.com, Bill Barnwell previews the Rams by asserting that, indeed, this is a big year for Fisher’s future with the team. It’s an excellent read and has some real insight into what the Rams are dealing with going into the season.

However, as much as it would make sense for this to be considered a make-or-break year for Fisher and his staff, it isn’t as dire as it might sound. In fact, it would take a big surprise for Fisher’s job to be in danger after this year.

First and foremost, Fisher has another year on his contract at nearly $7 million. Second, Fisher has been through a relocation from his time with the Oilers/Titans and would be a logical person to lead the Rams through a move back to Los Angeles. It has been reported that Rams owner Stan Kroenke even asked Fisher about how he did that during the interview process.

Patience might be wearing thin among the fan base, and understandably so, but the Rams don’t seem to feel the same way at this point. Things are always subject to change but make or break might be a bit of an overstatement at this point in the preseason.

Rams Head Coach Jeff Fisher– 8-17-15

(On the reaction from the crowd at the first Oxnard practice)
“The Rams used to be here so we’ve got a lot of Ram fans obviously and it was a great for them to come out. It was a great opportunity for them to see us in person. I remember last year when we played the Chargers in San Diego, we had a great group of people there that were really pulling for us. So, it was great to see them out.”

(On Rams Owner Stan Kroenke being at Monday’s practice)
“I thought it was great. He and (Cowboys Owner) Jerry (Jones) are close and you’ve got two teams practicing against each other. Why not come out as an owner and watch them?”

(On if he thinks the team’s presence signals anything bigger to the people of Los Angeles)
“No, I don’t read between the lines. We open against the Seahawks and our focus is on getting better so we can compete with them.”

(On the quality of the practice)
“I thought the work was great. (Cowboys Head Coach) Jason (Garrett) and I both talked to our teams about getting things done, respecting each other, because tempers have a tendency to fly when you compete against other people. We had a couple of push and shove things but other than that, I thought they worked really well together.”

(On what he’d say to the St. Louis fans who are nervous about the team being in southern California this week)
“I’ve said this numerous times: we started this early in the offseason and I talked to a number of clubs to try to set something up to where we could practice because we needed it. It’s like buying yourself an extra preseason game. This is the best thing for us. It worked out. It has nothing to do with LA or anything else. We were just happy we had quite a group of fans here, but from a practicality standpoint and a convenience standpoint, this worked out best for us.”

(On if he felt the support of the fans)
“Yeah, it was pretty impressive. We came by yesterday and we had a lift and they let us use their weight facility yesterday. They came out and it was all Cowboy fans here yesterday. It was great. We hope they do the same thing for us again tomorrow.”

(On the blow that the team suffers by losing CB E.J. Gaines for the season)
“It is. He played just about every game for us…had a little issue at the end. To come in as a sixth-round pick and come in because of injury and keep the job, I thought it was a very impressive effort for him. We were counting on him. We were going to create competition between Trumaine (Johnson) and (Gaines) this year to see what happened and it’s just unfortunate and just a part of it. He’ll be back. He’ll be back 100 percent. He’s just not going to return this year. Tru is off to a great start. Marcus (Roberson) is playing well and Lamarcus (Joyner) also is doing a good job for us there and Jenks (CB Janoris Jenkins) is Jenks. We’ve got a good group and unfortunately we’re down one.”

(On if it’s special to him to be close to where he grew up)
“Yeah, I got to go home and Mom cooked me a home-cooked meal last night, so that was good. Yeah, we’re staying in the same general vicinity. It’s kind of coincidental that we’re here. I’ve driven through this area many, many times.”

(On if he learned anything through the Houston to Tennessee move that he can lean on in the current situation his team is in)
“At this point I don’t know much. I’ve been through it before. Once we got through it and got settled, we were a pretty good football team.”

(On how he evaluates the work he can get with another team)
“You’ve got two different schemes offensively and defensively, and then the competition we had on special teams was outstanding. You’re not going against yourself every day. Players have to react. Obviously this is a 12-win football team last year so it’s good work for us.”

(On his memories of Southern California football fans)
“I grew up here and went to school here and it’s a great area. I actually was here, I came back in 1991 with the Rams. They miss their pro team. It’s understandable. That’s why there’s so much talk about the potential of bringing a franchise out here.”

Rams Quarterback Nick Foles- 8-17-15

(On the fans at practice)
“They were awesome. Team’s been in L.A. before, so a lot of fans still support the St. Louis Rams and it was exciting for them to be out here supporting us, yelling throughout this practice with the Cowboys. We got a lot of good work in today and we can definitely feel them yelling and screaming, so it was exciting.”

(On if he felt any pressure with Rams Owner Stan Kroenke in attendance)
“No, I don’t feel any pressure. It was awesome having him here and awesome getting to meet him. He does a great job with this organization.”

(On if this was the first time he’s met Kroenke)
“Yeah, this was the first time. He’s a busy man, so I was able to meet him. Great guy. I can’t say enough about what him and Coach Fisher do.”

(On what they talked about)
“Just getting acquainted.”

(On if he had any idea there was still this many fans in southern California)
“I had an idea. My wife is form this area, I played in the Pac-12, so I know this area a little bit and know they still support the Rams and still love the Rams. You could see it out here today. They were excited having us out here and we were excited to be in here.”

(On playing in the NFC East the last two years and knowing the Cowboys and if that was helpful)
“I’ve played against them, but there’s been some changes. There was a change in D-coordinator last year and I didn’t play last year against them, so it was a little bit different. Personnel wise, I was a somewhat familiar, but it was great. I’m in a different offense, so it’s fun just competing. We have respect for them and they have respect for us, so we got a lot of great work in today.”

(On what the offense needs to work on after the Oakland game)
“In general, I think we need to continue to execute early. When we get the ball in the red zone, we really need to come away with touchdowns. I think we just made too many mistakes, penalties, maybe missed opportunities with reads, but that happens this time of year. You’re getting back on the field, you’re getting things going, game plan wise you’re only out there for a couple of series. With the film, watching the film you see so many things that you come out here and correct. I thought the guys came out here today and we’ve improved. We still have a ways to go, but I see us moving in the right direction.”

(On if he’s ever gotten a standing ovation just for stepping off of a bus)
“Maybe high school.”

(On how he felt the guys did today)
“Yeah, we got a lot of great work in. I leave the field today feeling great about the work we did. There’s stuff we need to clean up of course, but that happens every day. The effort the guys gave today was tremendous and we have to come out tomorrow and do the same thing. “

(On if the fans made them feel at home)
“Yeah, they were just as loud as the Cowboys fans, if not louder, which is exciting. It’s hard to expect that when you come into their training camp, but I thought the support today was tremendous and we could hear it and had a lot of fun seeing all of the Rams jerseys.

Rams Tight End Jared Cook- 8-17-15

(On if he was surprised by the reaction of the fans today)

“Yeah, I was. They told us it was going to be a lot, but I wasn’t really expecting that many.”

(On him not seeing that kind of crowd at a practice or scrimmage)

“Not at all. And they’re not that rowdy either. With the Rams, this used to be their home city. I wasn’t expecting to see that many people. It was pretty cool.”

(On how he balances the talk of possible transition to LA)

“All you can do is focus on your craft. You’re here to play football. You’re not here to make any executive decisions. That’s really the only occupational decisions we make is focus on our craft and focus on things you can control, which is us.”

(On how he thought practice went today)

“I felt like it was really good. It felt good going up against a team that you don’t see everyday and that’s not predictable. So it was really good.”

(On Head Coach Jeff Fisher getting the team together before practice to talk about how to handle the physicality of the practice today)

“Yeah, I mean it wasn’t anything big. It was just things get heated. Tensions get high. They run high, but it was no big deal. It was good quality work against those guys.”

(On how he feels the offense is progressing coming off of the preseason game)

“You know, when was that? It was on Saturday. No Sunday. Sunday, we just went out and just worked on a lot of things that needed to be corrected from the game. I think we’re starting to get a little bit more attitude. Guys are starting to understand, especially the young guys, on how the game tempo goes and just how the game worked. I think it’s going pretty well so far this week.”

(On how he thinks facing a team that had 12 wins last year will help their progress)

“It’s huge. You’re facing a playoff team. They have good quality football players and guys that can fly around the ball, so it gives you kind of a game speed to the reps that you do get out of practice out here. So it’s really good for us.”

(On if he enjoyed the home field advantage today)

“It was nice having those guys come out and support us. It was pretty awesome of them.”

(On his reaction to when he came off of the bus to the fans chanting)

“I just couldn’t believe it man. I think we had a lot more fans out here than Dallas did. It was pretty awesome.”

by Nic Moody

http://archauthority.com/2015/08/17/rams-making-progress-after-joint-practice-with-cowboys/?utm_source=FanSided&utm_medium=Network&utm_campaign=Around%20the%20Network

The St Louis Rams gathered in Oxnard California today for a scrimmage against the Dallas Cowboys. Ignoring all of the political arguments of the crowds, the trolling, or Stan Kroenke showing his face, the Rams actually performed pretty well at practice. The Rams need all of the practice they can get, after their less than par showing at Oakland last Friday, it has been made apparent that this Rams team (that usually starts slow) needs to get as much work in as humanly possible.

The Rams started out by giving up eight pass plays in a row on defense. Janoris Jenkins got burned down the sideline for a 30 yard touchdown on the first play, not helping his case for the fans who want him gone. The Rams secondary still needs plenty of work before the season begins, and fans can already feel the loss of E.J Gaines before the season has began.

The Rams shined on offense, however. The receivers were able to return the favour and run around the Dallas defensive backs on multiple plays. The most impressive was Tavon Austin, who apparently “nobody could cover”. Austin caught multiple passes while being covered by multiple defenders, which included a 80 yard touchdown pass from Nick Foles. This is wonderful news if you are one of the many fans who have been waiting for Austin to shed his “bust” status and return to his former self. (Please see “Tavon Austin College Highlights” video for reference)

Foles was not perfect, he did throw a terrible interception, but most of the day was on point. The run game was effective as well, with a couple wonderful runs by Tre Mason. To end the day, Dez Bryant (who didn’t practice) apparently was very upset that the practice didn’t have more fights/ trash talk. Because who needs sportsmanship, right? I mean does anyone expect a player who wouldn’t show up for the first game of the season because he didn’t get a long term deal to act any differently? I’m not taking a shot at Dez, but it’s saddening if the report is true.

Regardless, it was a good practice that offered some real competition for the players. the Rams had a lot of hiccups, but for the most part, they seemed to improve a vast amount from the Raider game. Granted it’s just practice, but it’s still live football. The Rams have another scrimmage and practice in Oxnard, and then will play the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.