Greg Beacham@gregbeacham
Rams DT Michael Brockers is impressed by new pass rusher Leonard Floyd: “The guy has a motor that’s out of this world. Even AD noticed that.”

J.B. Long@JB_Long
Name-dropping following Wednesday at @RamsNFL camp:
•Ramsey: big hit on Akers.
•Akers: beautiful vision on a patient TD around right side vs 2D
•Nsimba: btb TDs in red zone from Wolford, who got a high-5 from McVay
•Hill: breakup on a goal line slant by Kupp.

Jourdan Rodrigue@JourdanRodrigue
It appears that Joe Noteboom will work at left guard for a second consecutive day; will be sure to note any possible rotation

Gary Klein@LATimesklein
Sean McVay said OL Rob Havenstein and Joe Noteboom are performing well.

Lindsey Thiry@LindseyThiry
Aaron Donald was asked if there was a leader in trash talk so far this season: “I put my money on Ramsey.”

Stu Jackson@StuJRams
Rams DT Aaron Donald: “All the young guys in the back end have been making plays.”

Lindsey Thiry@LindseyThiry
Rams training camp, Day 2 notes:

Jalen Ramsey welcomes rookie RB Cam Akers with the hit of the day

Great battles between WR Robert Woods and CB Darious Williams

CB Troy Hill goal-line breakup on Goff to Kupp

Obo Okoronkwo using his patented spin against the rookie Anchrum pic.twitter.com/k7TTNl8TTA

— Cameron DaSilva (@camdasilva) August 19, 2020

“After that, I just realized that I belong and I can make plays in this league. And the rest is history.”

Road to Recovery with @iamjohnthethird: https://t.co/5k7KHcXxb0 pic.twitter.com/csX53M25f5

— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) August 19, 2020

Bucky Brooks@BuckyBrooks
Not surprised to hear the @RamsNFL raving about Van Jefferson. He’s a pro.. Mature. High IQ. Polished route runner and dependable pass catcher. He’s falls in line with the culture that’s already established in the WR room with Woods and Kupp. Rams have 3 WRs w/same game DNA

from https://theramswire.usatoday.com/lists/hard-knocks-rams-episode-2-recap-takeaways/

Aaron Donald is an outstanding teacher

During a team meeting, McVay specifically pointed out Donald for being a leader. It wasn’t a play he made in practice, but something he did during individual drills. McVay showed Donald teaching rookie defensive lineman Jonah Williams about technique on the side, which McVay says is a testament to his leadership and the team coming together.

It’s an example of the type of thing McVay wants to see from players across the roster, especially in this shortened offseason. Donald is the perfect player for teammates to look up to, and he’s doing his part to lift everyone else up around him – and not just during the game by eating up double-teams.

from https://theramswire.usatoday.com/2020/08/18/rams-camp-jordan-fuller-interceptions-video/

Jordan Fuller wasn’t drafted as early as Cam Akers and Van Jefferson, and he doesn’t fill an immediate need on defense, so expectations for the rookie safety are tempered. However, he already seems to be exceeding the bar set for him with an impressive start to training camp.

The rangy safety has shown off his ball skills, awareness and range in practice on back-to-back days with interceptions. The Rams shared a clip of his second pick, covering the deep middle of the field to prevent a big play from John Wolford to Jefferson.

Fuller made a nice over-the-shoulder catch, which isn’t an easy grab to make for a safety.

Los Angeles Rams@RamsNFL
“I’ve been really impressed with all these guys. But those two young safeties, when you look at
Terrell Burgess and Jordan Fuller, they have really been standouts the last couple days.” – McVay Eyes

—

Rookie Terrell Burgess had the 9th-highest Coverage Grade in 2019 among all college secondary defenders

Burgess will look to make an immediate impact for the #LARams in 2020 pic.twitter.com/mOLYvzDipN

— PFF LA Rams (@PFF_Rams) August 18, 2020

10 Observations from the Rams’ first 2020 training camp practice in pads

Stu Jackson

https://www.therams.com/news/10-observations-first-training-camp-practice-pads

After each practice of Rams Training Camp presented by UNIFY Financial Credit Union, Rams staff writer Stu Jackson will share 10 observations from the session. Here are his notes from Tuesday, Aug. 18.

1) Our first look at the first team offensive line in a pads-on setting saw Joe Noteboom getting first-team reps at left guard, with Austin Corbett holding down right guard. This, of course, is the first glimpse of the combination since the two never got a chance to play together during the 2019 season: Noteboom was the team’s starting left guard in 2019 until sustaining a season-ending left knee injury in the sixth game; Corbett took over at left guard late in the season after Los Angeles moved Austin Blythe over to center as the replacement to Brian Allen (season-ending knee injury in Week 10). That guard combination was also different from what Episode 1 of Hard Knocks showed us. In that episode, Corbett was at left guard and David Edwards at right guard.

2) At outside linebacker, Leonard Floyd and Samson Ebukam handled first team duties. Like Lewis, both players looked the part physically, especially Floyd and his 6-5, 240-pound frame. Of course, Ebukam at 6-3 and 245 deserves credit too, given how hard he was working this offseason with the opportunity in front of him.

3) This hasn’t been the first time rookie wide receiver Van Jefferson’s route-running and separation skills have been touted, but if a reminder is needed, both were on full display at Tuesday’s practice. He hauled in a deep touchdown pass from quarterback John Wolford during 11-on-11 work, and had a nice over-the-shoulder catch for a score during 1-on-1 drills against cornerback Adonis Alexander.

4) Second-year safety Taylor Rapp’s non-participation – which Rams head coach Sean McVay attributed to “a little knee” issue – created ample opportunities for rookies Jordan Fuller and Terrell Burgess to show what they could do, and they delivered. During 11-on-11 drills, they each had an interception.

5) On that note about the safeties, there were other defensive backs who made plays too. Cornerback Darious Williams’ interception of quarterback John Wolford came after Burgess’ pick, giving the defense interceptions on back-to-back plays. Cornerback Dont’e Deayon also had a nice pass breakup in coverage against Robert Woods.

6) The running backs rotated often, though this was to be expected based on what McVay has told reporters about the committee approach to the position as well as what running backs coach Thomas Brown told me earlier this month about how he planned to approach training camp reps.

7) The team drills also provided a look at the kicking competition. CFL product Lirim Hajrullahu and XFL product Austin MacGinnis each drilled a 42-yard field goal during that stretch.

8) It was great to see inside linebacker Micah Kiser full-go after last year’s setback with the preseason pectoral injury that forced him to miss the rest of the year. “I know we have high regard for Micah Kiser in our building,” defensive coordinator Brandon Staley told reporters in May, and that was reflected Tuesday with Kiser getting reps with the first-team defense alongside Travin Howard.

9) Fourth-year pro Josh Reynolds was regularly the third wide receiver alongside Woods and Cooper Kupp on the first-team offense. Again, this development also doesn’t come as too much of a surprise given how McVay said in the spring that he expected Reynolds to have a bigger role in the offense in 2020.

10) Tight end Tyler Higbee seems to be picking up where he left off in December, hauling in consecutive passes from Goff during one point during 11-on-11 drills to help move the chains.

This repeats a few things found in other places, but it has enough in it that’s new to justify posting the whole thing.

…

Now united with a new coach, Jared Goff takes his next step as Rams QB

Jourdan Rodrigue

https://theathletic.com/1999260/2020/08/18/now-united-with-a-new-coach-heres-how-rams-qb-jared-goff-takes-his-next-step/?source=twittered

This offseason, as he has done since 2017, Rams quarterback Jared Goff met three times per week with 3DQB, a Huntington Beach, Calif.-based quarterback training facility, to work on his mechanics and mental preparation and to develop a nutrition plan ahead of a pivotal year.

And over the last two weeks, Goff finally got out of Zoom video conferences and onto the field for the first time with new offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell, who, along with passing game coordinator Shane Waldron, will take over Goff’s training and mechanics work.

The manner in which they carry Goff’s momentum into his fifth training camp will determine much of the Rams’ offensive success this fall.

Teammates and coaches say Goff showed up to camp in great shape — “the best shape of his life,” according to tight end Tyler Higbee — and while Goff joked that he thought it might be cheeseburger weight, Higbee sees a real difference in the quarterback’s physical ability.

“Seeing him just moving around, throwing the rock around, his mobility is better,” Higbee said. “I know he’s changed his diet a little bit to help improve that.”

O’Connell said he was “pleasantly surprised” to see how well Goff has been moving his feet in camp, when players have been able to onboard in a limited capacity.

“He’s really spent a lot of time in the offseason getting a little bit stronger as well as getting some foot speed,” O’Connell said.

That was, of course, by design. Part of Goff’s work at 3DQB this spring was done with the assumption that, because the Rams’ offensive line did not have its usual offseason work together, he would face some of the same protection/pocket-cleanliness issues that he experienced in 2019. He would need to get more confident when throwing on the move.

“One thing Jared had to do a lot of last year was throw off his back foot,” said mechanics expert Adam Dedeaux, when speaking with The Athletic last month. Dedeaux leads Goff’s offseason training at 3DQB and is the company’s CEO.

“Some of that was related to his footwork, which we wanted to clean up. Some of it was related to that understanding that he didn’t have the same space and time (to throw) that maybe he had been accustomed to, and that this year was going to be no different. We worked on the mechanics of how to be able to throw off of the back foot but not lose any of the velocity or take any more off of the arm. And then also, when you’re forced to move and you find yourself on your front foot, how do you throw off your front foot? There are specific mechanics to doing that to where, once again, you don’t lose mechanical efficiency.”

O’Connell and head coach Sean McVay refer to that as throwing “off schedule,” and it’s a major emphasis point in practices for Goff and the backup quarterbacks.

“We’ve worked a lot on his fundamentals, worked a lot on his lower half, his base, you know, having a little bit more athletic stance and posture throughout the sequence of a snap,” O’Connell said. “(In an NFL game), very rarely does it feel like you’re throwing on air when the pass rush is live. … So, we try to simulate, first and foremost, getting the fundamental sound from a clean pocket. And then a lot of what we’ll do and have done already (is) to continue to challenge him when that chaos surrounds him.”

That means drilling, and more drilling, which O’Connell breaks down into phases. Everything the quarterbacks do places emphasis on sound fundamental techniques, as sort of a “home base” for Goff to come back to when things start getting gnarly in front and around him in live situations.

“We take a lot of pride in how we put drills together,” O’Connell said. “To me, early on in practice we’ve got to get this guy activated. Everybody thinks warming up is just your arm muscle, just throwing pitches to get loose. … Well, quarterbacks have to do a lot of things. We don’t throw off of a mound. We don’t throw from a static position. There’s conflict in the pocket. That’s a nice way of saying people like (All-Pro defensive tackle) Aaron Donald are in the pocket trying to chase you down and get sacks and things like that.

“So, we have to simulate that while also understanding it’s all about the basis of the fundamentals that we start with, and that’s the base, his balance, his body position, posture in the pocket, having his feet nice and set in the right place, eliminating all the extra motion, all the extra movements that can sometimes build up and become some bad habits over time.”

From there, O’Connell said, they continue to add variables such as pocket movement and “conflict” within the pocket. Goff obviously won’t take hits in camp, but the idea is, in the most extreme phases of drilling, to pressure him enough to where it feels more natural for him to extend his own pocket should protection collapse.

The Rams also coach situationally, meaning they try to mirror what might happen in the natural flow of a game — for example, re-creating the type of pressure Goff would face in a must-pass third-down situation and designing not only more options for Goff with his pass-catchers but also creating the opportunity for him to work through his throwing mechanics while on the move.

“We coach a lot about decision-making in those time frames,” O’Connell said, “how we make decisions, how we still protect the football while also always first and foremost being aggressive and having that attacking mindset.”

O’Connell has enjoyed working with Goff and seeing the progress since they got on the field together for the first time in early August. O’Connell and McVay wanted Goff to take more ownership of the Rams’ offense this season; so far O’Connell is markedly impressed.

“(He is) professional,” O’Connell said. “Comes to work every single day with a purpose and a plan. … I like his leadership style because I’ve seen the guys really respond to him, (and) his teammates know that he has their back. He’s willing to be out in front of this thing, and when things don’t go well, I’ve been really proud (to see him) step up and say, ‘Hey, that’s on me. Here’s how we are going to fix it.’

“Whose fault doesn’t matter. It’s about being a leader, and it’s about taking control and accountability of the group. And we’re off to a great start from that standpoint.”

Goff indicated he felt an immediate bond with O’Connell, since the offensive coordinator played the position for five years in the NFL as a journeyman backup. Goff knows what details he has to manage in order to take the next step in his career; O’Connell’s experience behind quarterbacks like Tom Brady and Philip Rivers means he has full understanding of those details, too.

“He understands the little intricacies that go along with playing it, and I’m super excited,” Goff said. “I couldn’t be more excited.”

Alex Kirshner@alex_kirshner
Hi, I’m a college administrator who makes $150k a year. I spent the last two months telling reporters, “We’re really banking on our students making smart decisions this fall and not partying.” Now we have 12 COVID clusters after two days. I have no idea how this happened.

Vid link.

NFL Network’s Steve Wyche: Los Angeles Rams rookie wide receiver Van Jefferson has been ‘darling of training camp’ for Rams.

https://www.nfl.com/videos/wyche-van-jefferson-has-been-darling-of-training-camp-for-rams

Rams Training camp, Day 1: Jared Goff spins it

Eric D. Williams

https://www.si.com/nfl/rams/news/rams-goff-spins-it

A recap of Tuesday’s practice at Rams training camp:

PLAYER OF THE DAY

Reporters got their first chance to see all the work Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff has been putting in on display in his team’s fully padded practice.

Goff shined. He showed good accuracy and anticipation in the pocket and on the run. And if he didn’t have anything, Goff pulled the ball down and scrambled for big games.

Head coach Sean McVay also said he liked how his starting quarterback got his team quickly in and out of the huddle. The only hiccup for Goff was an interception by rookie safety Terrell Burgess on a deep ball.

“He made completions, made good decisions and took what the defense gave him consistently,” McVay said. “I thought we got in and out of the huddle the right way. It was on track for doing things with the standards that we have set, and I thought it started with his performance today.”

PLAY OF THE DAY

There were a handful to chose from, but we will go with Darious Williams’ interception of John Wolford on a deep ball intended for Trishton Jackson.

Williams’ pick was the first of back-to-back interceptions by the Rams’ defense, with the second one the Burgess takeaway.

“At this point of the season to see the secondary as on point as they are is definitely a good sight,” defensive lineman Michael Brockers said.

Rookie Van Jefferson also was impressive on Tuesday, running polished routes and creating consistent separation during 1-on-1 drills. Jefferson also caught a nice deep ball for a touchdown from Wolford behind Williams.

MATCHUP OF THE DAY

Rookie Cam Akers squared up with Pro Bowl cornerback Jalen Ramsey after a decent gain, and the two Florida State products had a big collision along the sideline.

Both Akers and Ramsey playfully talked smack as the two made their way back to the huddle.

Akers looked the part during practice. He showed that he’s a natural hands catcher in individual route running drills and also displayed good patience, with an ability to burst through the hole once he found a seam in the defense.

Akers, Malcolm Brown and Darrell Henderson Jr. all got reps with the starters during team drills.

ROLL CALL

McVay said second-year safety Taylor Rapp has a knee issue that kept him out of practice on Tuesday, but he feels good about the University of Washington product being on the right track to getting out on the field soon.

McVay also said outside linebacker Justin Lawler got his foot stepped on and is being evaluated.

Brockers said a high ankle injury he suffered last year is good to go, and he’s able to go full speed. Defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson, on reserve/non-football injury list with an undisclosed health issue, was at practice watching today with his position group.

The five offensive lineman working with the starters included Andrew Whitworth at left tackle, Joe Noteboom at left guard, Austin Blythe at center, Austin Corbett at right guard and Rob Havenstein at right tackle.