some MORE follow-up (open-ended…I will keep adding to it)

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CoachO

on Quick: Again, might just be the most gifted WR on the roster athletically. Size, speed, strength. All there. He is a hard worker, and it has never been said he is a problem. Meaning, he shows up and goes to work. His biggest issue, IMO, is confidence. It’s having the confidence in his own ability to play at this level. And its the coaching staff showing they have the confidence in him to keep putting him out there, even when he makes a mental mistake or drops a pass.

His body language even at training camp if he drops a ball, looks like he is defeated. He seems to be constantly “looking over his shoulder” wondering what Coach Sherman is going to do or say next. This camp so far, that hasn’t been nearly as evident. Again, does that mean the light bulb has come on? Only time will tell.

Having Kenny Britt here has already paid dividends as far as Brian Quick’s confidence. They are paired together, and taking reps together. And if you want to find Brian Quick on the practice field, find Britt and he is ALWAYS within a few feet. And Britt is the most spirited player I have seen on the practice field in the past 4 years of attending these practices. He is always encouraging the others in the WR group, but he seems to be giving Quick extra attention. Is that by design? have the coaches put a bug in his ear? Who knows,, but it seems to be working.

I saw one thing take place in yesterdays 11 on 11 stuff, that I am sure hasn’t taken place before. With Quick lined up wide to the left side, Bradford looked right at him and made a gesture to Quick with his fingers to indicate a sight adjustment. Taking two fingers and putting them to his own eyes while looking at Quick. Immediately after the ball is snapped, Quick runs a quick slant and Bradford hits him in stride for what would have been a 1st down on a 3rd and 5. That tells me he is finally getting it.

Quick isn’t running with the 3’s. HE is part of the group that is working with the 1’s and 2’s. As I mentioned earlier, they are using the WRs in pairs. Austin and Bailey, Britt and Quick, and Givens with Pettis. All 6 of them are getting reps with both the 1st and 2nd units.

When they put the 3rd unit offense on the field, you then see guys like Veltung, Moe, Blake, Franklin. Although there was a play or two where Givens was on the field with Veltung and Franklin.

…the prospect of them lining up Britt, Quick, COOK AND KENDRICKS is something they have done more than a couple of times. Pretty impressive when Brian Quick is the “smallest” guy of the group

*

On Wells: When they do any walk thru stuff, or partake in the basic group drills (no contact) he is right there taking his turn with the 1st unit. As is Long.

There may be something more to it, but something tells me this is just Fisher being overly cautious with his veterans, specially the ones coming back from injury. Whether he was/is 100% percent, Fisher has said all along, they plan to limit BOTH Wells and Long’s reps thru the early part of training camp.

I anticipate the rotation at C to continue on a daily basis between Barnes and Jones. And the more work they can get Joseph at RG the better. At least for the next 2 weeks, I don’t envision this changing. Now, if Long and Wells aren’t more involved by mid August, then something will be amiss.

*

The biggest thing I like about Gaines, is he just “gets it”. Greg Williams allows his players to “free lance” (for lack of a better term) and he coaches them to read the formation and make certain adjustments. Compared it to what Richard Sherman excels at in Seattle. He is constantly coming off his man, to chase interceptions.

Not that I am comparing Gaines to Sherman at all, but he does have the knack for always being in the right place at the right time. The play he made yesterday was a perfect example of this. He was running with his man down the sideline, but when he saw the ball in the air, he peeled off his man, and made his way back to the ball. It ends up being overthrown, and he makes a diving INT. In the past, we didn’t have the types of players who would make this play. they just stay with their man, and assume they did their job.

And for what its worth….. Lamarcus Joyner is the same sort of player. I think BOTH of these guys will do well in a Greg Williams defense.

As to Tavon. He has been paired with Bailey in the 2 WR sets, and also has taken snaps in the backfield. He made on really athletic catch along the sidelines, leaping over the CB (Jenkins I believe), and cradled the ball from McLeod. I would have to say, if this were “live action”, McLeod would have laid out Austin on this play, as he made a great read on the play, and got there in plenty of time to make a play. Regardless, it did show Austin’s athleticism. Overall, he looks smaller then last year, but if it’s possible, much FASTER.

Robinson drops into pass pro vs. DE Robert Quinn…

Yeah he has a whole series showing Quinn beating Robinson, then the other way around.

Fisher no longer in Montana state of mind

• By Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/fisher-no-longer-in-montana-state-of-mind/article_c0747ac5-4388-5203-8e2e-12a9aeb4f600.html

For the Rams and NFL teams everywhere, these are the happy days of training camp. For the players, their bodies feel about as good as they will for the next six months. Even the coaches come back refreshed after the summer break, Jeff Fisher included.

“Every year’s a challenge. Every roster’s different,” Fisher said, as he begins his 19th full season as an NFL head coach, and his third in St. Louis.

“It’s the players; the players keep me going,” Fisher said. “I enjoy the relationships, and I enjoy seeing them develop. Enjoy the chemistry in the locker room and welcome the challenge in the division. All it takes is two or three weeks in Montana and here we go again.”

Montana is where Fisher spent nearly all of his time between now and the end of OTAs in late June. He owns a place in Big Sky Country, and suffice it to say does a lot of fishing there. Except for a brief side trip to Los Angeles for the ESPYs, where Michael Sam received the Arthur Ashe Courage Award in mid-July, Fisher didn’t budge from Montana.

But from now until January — maybe longer with a playoff berth — Fisher won’t budge from Rams Park. It doesn’t take a mind reader to figure out that Fisher likes this team, these 2014 Rams. Whether he still likes it in December remains to be seen.

As the Rams finish off their first weekend of camp with an evening practice Sunday, team energy has been high on the practice field and in the meeting rooms. Fisher doesn’t need to give any pep talks at this point — more often than not, he has to back down the players a little. Youngsters, after all, have a lot of energy.

“I know everyone on the team’s excited, especially building up through OTAs,” said fourth-year wide receiver Austin Pettis. “I think both sides of the ball have big expectations this year. And being able to finally get camp started, get that much closer to the games, is a good feeling.”

Potential can be a dangerous word, as veteran defensive end Chris Long points out. And excitement alone won’t be enough to get the Rams where they need to be. Namely, their first winning season since 2003, and their first playoff season since 2004.

“Every year, you think this could be the year,” Long said. “It could be the year for you personally. It could be the year for you as a team. … Everybody has that attitude I think. And that’s just the excitement off it.

“Every team in the NFL has hopes, and we’re all undefeated right now. But pretty quickly, you’ve just got to move from excitement to intense focus.”

Otherwise, you’ll get left behind. This Rams team has plenty of potential, but that doesn’t guarantee victories.

“That stuff has to play itself out on the field,” Long said. “Potential can only get you so much. We’ve been here before, where we’ve said this has got to be the year. Well, it’s gotta be the year if we make it the year. We have to play it out.”

The “playing out” part of Long’s equation got underway over the weekend. The Rams dodged the weather on Friday and Saturday — with rain leaving the area just before practice Friday, and some rain coming in just as practice ended early Saturday evening. Cloud cover and an occasional breeze made Saturday’s mid-90s temperatures much more bearable.

“We need some heat, in particular because we’re gonna go down in Week 2 to Tampa Bay,” Fisher said after Saturday’s practice. “We’ll get our opportunities (for heat). But from an acclimation standpoint, it’s ideal what we’ve been through the last couple days.”

Even with the weather concerns, the crowds have been good over the weekend. It used to be rare for the Rams to draw 1,000 spectators to Earth City for camp. But they’ve drawn over 1,400 on the first two days: 1,484 Friday and 1,434 Saturday.

The intimate setting at Earth City has fans close to the players. That’s especially true this season because of a new offensive line drill added by line coach Paul Boudreau.

Every day, team security ropes off an area on a hill and temporarily clears the crowd out in that area. But the fans are still only a few feet away from the players as one offensive lineman pushes another up the hill.

On Saturday, Boudreau had Auburn’s Greg Robinson and Alabama’s Barrett Jones take part in a “race” to see which one could push a player up the hill first. The rest of the offensive linemen, who were watching, quickly dubbed it Iron Bowl II — in honor of the Alabama-Auburn rivalry game.

Alabama won, with Jones pushing his player up the hill first.

At one point or another, most fans have taken a look at Mizzou defensive end Michael Sam during practice, and he didn’t disappoint Saturday. He had a stellar day rushing the passer from the left end position, mainly against offensive tackles Sean Hooey and R.J. Dill.

“He’s improving — he is,” defensive line coach Mike Waufle said of Sam. “And like all rookies, they’re baby steps. But the baby steps are good.”

Day 2 featured big plays by quarterback Sam Bradford and the receiving corps — particularly Kenny Britt and Tavon Austin. No. 2 overall draft pick Robinson continues to work at left tackle as Jake Long works his way back into practice/game readiness.

“He’s learned that Rob Quinn is a really good rusher,” Fisher joked when asked how Robinson was faring at tackle. “I think he knew that before he got out here, but it’s different in person.”

some follow-up (open-ended…I will keep adding to it)

====

CoachO

Bradford MOVED fine yesterday. Mobility and his knee do not look like an issue in the least. His rustiness yesterday, was more from timing and rhythm issues. and he was much more comfortable today.

*

Michael Sam had a very good practice. He was causing issues in the backfield all day. Granted he was working against 2nd & 3rd team RTs (Hooey mostly) but he showed his burst and leverage. He has the ability to drop his hips and turn the corner while engaged, and the taller Hooey couldn’t handle him.

*

They need to get one more year out of Wells. With Robinson lining up at LG, it will benefit him greatly to have both Long and Wells alongside.

And without having to worry about picking up the garbge that usually got by C. Williams/S. Smith last year, having the two horses (Saffold and Robinson), he can focus on getting to the second level, which he excels at.

I really don’t want to go into this season with a ROOKIE starting at LG, and what amounts to a ROOKIE starting at Center.

Robinson going up against Quinn, is not going to look good period. I doubt seriously that audition will last much longer. I anticipate them starting to take a look at guys like Hooey, Person, and even Bond out there and let Robinson settle in at LG.

*

Reid hasn’t done anything at this point to stand out one way or another. He has been relegated to 3rd team reps both days, and hasn’t flashed good or bad. Other than taking his place with the 1st unit KO team during the Special Teams drills on Sat (he was not on it Friday), he has been relegated to 3rd team reps at CB, sharing reps with the likes of Jarrid Bryant. Thus far he has done nothing to garner any mention.

He obviously looks athletic, but honestly, in team drills, (7 on 7 or 11 on 11) he looks bored and uninterested. If that doesn’t change soon, his days will be numbered.

*

Gilbert has gotten considerable work with the 2nd unit and looks good throwing the ball. Arms strength…..Check Accuracy…. Check Mobility…… Check Still has issues with his reads, and getting the ball out on time.

*

Givens and Pettis are working together as they continue to rotate pairs of receivers. Bailey and Austin, Britt and Quick, then Givens and Pettis. And to be frank about it, Givens has gotten the least amount of reps. He did have one nice catch on a sideline comeback route, where Hill threw all the way across the field to get the ball to him. But he has not shown much, even as a deep threat as of yet.

The guy who may be the surprise odd man out is Pettis. Think about it. When they brought him in, how many other 6’3 WRs did they have? Not Gibson. Not Amendola. Not Salas. Alexander was a huge ? Now they have Britt, Quick, Cook, Kendricks. So his ability to be a big target was something different.

Now, when you factor in he is entering his 4th year, and isn’t cheap, and someone like a TJ Moe comes along and can give you the quickness and ST value that Pettis doesn’t? Not saying it WILL happen, but its something to think about. Especially if Britt proves to be a keeper.

*

Joseph looks pretty good at RG. He squared off with Donald on occasion today, and while no one else has been able to slow him down, Joseph did a nice job on him.

*

[Pead]..had more opportunities yesterday. Today Stacy got the lions share of the work, along with Cunningham. He had a few carries today, but they really don’t run the ball alot during these 11 on 11 drills,, about enough to keep the defense somewhat honest.

RamBill

Nick Wagoner ‏@nwagoner

Also, during one on one passing drills, DB’s held tennis balls as receivers ran routes in effort to get in habit of keeping hands off WRs.

The idea obviously being to cut down on DPI and illegal contact. DBs allowed to drop tennis balls to make play on the ball in the air.

A couple of interesting twists on drills:During O-line individual,OL separated the crowd and spent time pushing each other uphill among fans

Number one offensive line looked same as yesterday with a noticeable exception: Barrett Jones got work with first team at center.

Again, #Rams still not in pads but top defense continues to control the action against top offense.

List of non participants similar to yesterday: S Bryant, FB Jones, LB Millard, DE S. Brown, DL Westbrooks, C Wells, OT J. Long, DE Hayes.

DE Michael Sam also had a good showing. Beat OT Sean Hooey repeatedly in team as well as one on one pass rush drills.

Good day for WR Stedman Bailey, who continues to create separation. Still no pads on but a nice double move for a TD against Brandon McGee.

A couple players limped off for various reasons. CB Joyner exited but returned. CB Johnson,WR Blake also left early but didn’t return.

#Rams off the practice field Saturday evening. Cloud cover saves the day, no problems with heat. Practice No. 2 in the books.

===
Jim Thomas ‏@jthom1

WRs Kenny Britt, Tavon Austin made flashy plays in practice. With Britt using his frame on one play to come back and grab a contested ball.

Not practicing Sat. for Rams: FB Kadeem Jones, C Scott Wells, LB Johnny Millard, DE Sammy Brown.

DE Michael Sam was very impressive working at left end in 11-on-11 team drills, albeit against backup players.

CB Trumaine Johnson left field during 7-on-7 drills with possible leg tweak. Didn’t appear to be anything serious.

TE Justice Cunningham, who is trying to make the roster as fourth TE (Mike McNeill former spot) was limping noticeably late in practice.

laram wrote:

I don’t like coaches who did what he did. I’m not impressed.

Well I don’t like when coaches do what he did either. So we agree on that.

laram wrote:

I’m hoping for the pass rush to help the corners look better than they are.

Jenks fundamentals are horrid and Tru is a limited corner in respect to the types of receivers he can cover.

If I were an offense, I would put a big on Jenks and speed on Tru’s side.

You can do that since they don’t travel.

IF you have both you have an advantage.

The thing about Jenkins, though, is that Wms is famous as a teacher. How good was Verner before Wms? (And because I anticipate this question from someone, in their minds if nothing else, I’ve read up on Wms in Tennessee and local beat writers there said he had a big hand in how their defense played last year. They went from 27th the year before to 14th and a solid unit. Fisher himself said that when he watch the Titans on tape to prepare for that game, he could see that Wms’s hand was all over that defense.)

Rambill

VID:The Rams stepped onto the fields at Rams Park for the training camp session of 2014. Sam Bradford participated fully coming off of last season’s knee injury. Video includes practice clips, along with Sam Bradford and Jeff Fisher comments.

Watch Day 1 Practice Report

http://launch.newsinc.com/share.html?ndn.trackingGroup=91130&ndn.siteSection=stltodaystudio_hom_non_sec&ndn.videoId=26456624&freewheel=91130&sitesection=stltodaystudio_hom_non_sec&vid=26456624

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5 takeaways from the first day of Rams training camp

By Ryan Van Bibber

http://www.turfshowtimes.com/2014/7/26/5939539/st-louis-rams-training-camp-practice-report-sam-bradford-greg-robinson

The Rams are practicing football again, and that means were officially counting down to the start of the 2014 season. Sam Bradford and Jeff Fisher spoke to the media after practice on Friday, offering a few tidbits of news and an assessment of the day’s work.

For practice observations from the fans and media on the scene, head over to our report from yesterday.

1. Young, but experienced

The Rams are a young team, for the third year in a row, but the party line this year is that these are an experienced group of youngsters.

” … because of the fact that we have players now in their third year and guys last year in their second, they’re familiar faces, they’ve matured, they have the playing experience,” Fisher said after practice. “So despite the age on paper the team doesn’t act that way, the team acts much more mature and will be much more prepared.”

2. Greg Robinson is doing “fine”

The second overall pick turned some heads over the summer by admitting he was struggling to adjust to the move inside to guard and a more complex playbook that the one he had at Auburn. On the field Friday, Fisher and Sam Bradford spoke highly of Robinson’s day at practice.

Robinson is also working at two positions.

“I thought Greg did a great job,” Bradford said. “Today he played both tackle and guard and when you’re trying to learn a system, you’d really prefer to have to learn one but we’re asking him to learn two because we think he can handle it. I thought he did a great job playing both inside and outside today. I think he is really going to help us up front.”

3. Bradford doesn’t feel the pressure

Is it or isn’t it a make or break year? Is it or isn’t it the second or third or fourth year in a row we’ve heard that?

“I don’t really pay attention to that,” Bradford said. “Every year is a ‘make it or break it’ year according to someone. I think everyone in our locker room feels really good about where we’re at right now and where this football team is going. I think we have a great chance to be really good …”

Bradford was struggling with his throws yesterday according to folks on the scene. Fisher was more confident in his assessment.

“He was fine. He’s doing good, throwing the ball well … he’s ready to go,” Fisher said.

A rough first day of camp doesn’t mean anything, especially for a QB coming off an ACL tear. It’s just practice.

4. Impressive defense

Bradford’s been in the NFL long enough to know what a good defense looks like. And he was talking up the one he saw on the field Friday.

“I think our defense is going to be extremely good this year,” the quarterback said. “There’s nothing easy against those guys, especially up front. That front seven is really, really tough.”

5. Everyone wants to win!

There’s your breaking news development of the day. Fisher and Bradford were asked about fans’ desire to see the Rams put together their first winning record in 11 years.

“I think everyone here wants to win,” Bradford said. “That’s our goal. That’s why we’re out here to play. No one steps on the field to lose. I think we want just as bad as the city and the fans do.”

Fisher had a little more perspective, a little less canned response to the question.

“Well it’s just been before I got here and the day I arrived and it’s going to continue to be that way,” the coach said. “We’re fortunate to have a fan base that has high expectations and remember the good years and they should.”

wv wrote:

The media-celebrities are just not sold on Bradford. They’ve seen Kaperhead and R.Wilson
do big things, but they haven’t seen Sam do big things.

I think thats prettymuch how they analyze thingz.

w
v

I think this is also part of it. No media analyst watches every regular season game to the point where they know the details of how 32 teams played in all 16 games.

Winning teams get watched more. Naturally. Imagine going into a life of sports analysis and you get assigned the “know losing teams only” slot in your group.

National media analysts tend to be kind of less informed about Bradford because they have seen less of him. In fact that fits my (part joking) “one national game” theory. Most people only saw one Rams game–last year’s SF game. The whole team kind of screwed up that game (picture in your head Finnegan running fruitlessly behind a productive Boldin.)

Mort, on the other hand, is a friend of Fisher’s and is on the “war room invitation” list.

.