DISCLAIMER: I am not a professional scout or writer (duh). Just offering my two cents and making change for that.

I got a late start getting to camp but being that my work is only 15 minutes from UCI, I still made it in time to watch warm ups. I did bring my trusty Nikon and if you like, there are a ton of pictures at the link below (276 photos, not for the faint of heart).

http://smg.photobucket.com/user/daledouglass/library/Rams Camp Aug 17 2016?sort=3&page=1

Good size crowd, maybe 800-1000 but I’m not good at math so I may be exaggerating. What I really enjoy seeing at these practices, this is my fourth one, is the families. Dad’s with their kids, small kids, medium kids, large kids. Love seeing the kids and I love seeing parents with all their Ram gear on and the kids having matching outfits. There was even a couple of Pop Warner teams there. It was fun listening to the coaches and Dad’s talking about football, “Hey, we do those drills!” or “Maybe we should use that drill?”.

Weather was warm, no, hot is more like it. High 80’s, maybe low 90’s. Clear skies but off in the distance to the north you could see the smoke over the mountains from the fire in the Cajon pass. Pray no one gets hurt or killed. Possessions can be replaced.

My plan this camp was to focus on the lineman and the DB’s. That is so hard to do with the vantage points we have. I set up in the end zone bleachers and was treated to the 1x1 of the wide receivers and DB’s. Two lines, one on each side of the hash marks. QB’s rotated so I couldn’t see who was throwing while I was focusing (literally, had my camera) on the match ups. Now I had the big scissor lift blocking part of my view to the right so my area of focus was on my left or the QB’s right. Line of scrimmage was about the 5-yard line. Here is what I saw;

P. Cooper was lining up on the left side. Saw him make a move at the line, sprint to the back of the end zone, cut left (outside) and then immediately reverse direction to the middle of the end zone. It was fast, crisp and left the DB, who I didn’t see his number, in the dust. Nice move. Didn’t catch the ball IIRC.

K. Britt is a pro. He needs more targets. Leaping high to make the catch then coming down in bounds. Joyner playing him tight when they were matched up. One series Joyner leaps high and breaks up the pass. Nice D.

A. Hill, the son of former Ram TE David Hill and nephew of local CBS sportscaster Jim Hill is trying hard. He just doesn’t have the speed, the moves, the hands. He knows he has to impress and is maybe trying too hard? He had a drop in the end zone against Mike Jordan that upset him greatly. Later on, during 11x11, he made a great leaping catch on the far sideline the caused some cheers from the crowd. He seemed rejuvenated after that. Did catch a couple more during 11x11. He will be lucky to make the PS.

B. Quick knows he is on the bubble. During the first series of drills, he ran a simple out curl. The ball hit him in a bad place, his hands. Dropped. I have a picture of him after that walking around with his hands on his hips and his head down. Obviously upset with himself and like I said, I think he knows he may not make the team with all the younger talent at WR. He did redeem himself later by getting really open and a nice leaping catch then, fighting off Tru J. and using his size to score a TD. Doing what we expect him to do, fight for the ball, use his size and leaping ability. See the pics for this sequence.

B. Marquez got separation from Tru on one series but couldn’t hang on to an over throw. He also was WIDE open during 7x7. Blown coverage by either EJ Gains or #47 M. Roberson.

D. Williams, only saw one series with him. Shielded Tru with his body and made the catch at the goal line.

D. Richards, #12 made a nice move on T. Hill, was open for the over the shoulder throw but didn’t manage to hang on.

T. Austin didn’t do much of these drills that I saw but he did have a nice play during 11x11. Screen pass to the right, turns up field and lights his jets. Breaking away from all pursuers, Joyner comes full speed with a great angle to intercept the speeding Austin. Just as Joyner was within arm’s reach, Tavon takes a half step, cuts back to the middle of the field. Joyner never saw him again. Nice effort by Joyner, great move my Tavon. I posted that Joyner was still looking for his socks after that juke.

That was it for WR drills. I was hoping to use my zoom lens from the end zone to capture the linemen during 11x11 but the offense was moving towards the far end zone so all the players not participating were standing on the field and blocking my view. So I move to the south bleachers as far down as I could so I could get some good shots with players’ numbers. It worked out pretty well. Now I did focus almost exclusively on the line of scrimmage so I really didn’t see the end result of the plays ran. But that was the whole idea, watch the line.

This is for DaveFan51.

Battle didn’t play, was taken out due to injury earlier in practice. Pace Murphy took his place.

G. Rob had some good and some bad moments. He was going up against Sims.

C. Wichmann was at LG for the ones. Again, some good, some bad.

T. Barnes center did a good job from what I saw. Maybe the best of all the lineman not named Saffold.

J. Brown at RG. A. Donald 99 made him look bad but he really wasn’t. Everyone looks bad against Donald, but one series Brown did get all out of positon, his feet were not under him, reaching for Donald. Would have been a sack.

D. Williams was at RT for the second string. He did well! He was going up against Morgan Fox so that may be the reason.

R. Saffold against W. Hayes. Saffold is solid. Best multi position player on the team IMHO.

T. Gurley had a nice blitz pick up. Actually was able to take out two rushers by pushing his man (A. Ayers) into the other moving around to the outside (C. Lynch). Play would have resulted in a sack because G. Rob let Sims beat him with a speed rush.

There was a little scuffle between Chase Reynolds and Darreon Herring. They were so close, wrapped up tight, looked like they could have been dancing a slow dance. Not much more than that and some jaw jacking. It really didn’t even attract the attention of the other players. It must have affected Reynolds as he wasn’t performing well after that. Came to the sidelines after one series, Tavon was yelling his name to get his attention and Reynolds didn’t even acknowledge Tavon.

I can’t recall much more than this. Take a look at the pics and hopefully they loaded in the correct sequence so you can get a feel for the action. Maybe some of you with more football acumen could add some analysis from what you see.

Thanks!

Rams PoP Quiz.. How many of you King Solomon Wise Rams fans know the Answers?

If you know some or all of the answers go ahead and post a picture or message of the person or player. All answers are of people currently involved with the 2016 Rams.

If you are competitive you will not scroll down and look at the answers from those that put theirs before you.. Good Luck and happy researching if needed fellow Rams fans....

Question #1
I was a star on my high-school football team at Tarboro, N.C., and we won three consecutive 2A State Championships. Who am I?

Question #2
I was born on a Thursday in the spring 25 years ago. My birthstone is Emerald. The year of my birth was in the Chinese year of the Goat. Who am I?

Question #3
I attended Taft High School in Woodland Hills, California I also led the NFL in Punt Returns (57) several years ago. Who am I?

Question #4
I was a running back at Fort Osage High School in my hometown of Independence. I was also a two-time All-State track star in high school. I am currently battling for a starting spot in the secondary for the LA Rams..... Who am I?

Question#5
In 2015 playing a game against a division foe, one of their Defensive Ends called me a "little girl" for an act I committed. Who am I?

Question #6
I do not look very athletic but In 2015, I jumped into the rough ocean waters to save a drowning surfer..... Who am I?

Question #7
When I was in high-school for a few spare bucks, I worked at the nearby Burger King. I was also 86-0 my last 3 years as a wrestler for my high-school. Who am I?

Question #8
My first job was sweeping the floor at his father's lumber yard. By age 10, I was keeping the company's books. At Cole Camp, High School, I played baseball, basketball and ran track. I am of of German descent and I've obtained a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science and a Masters of Business Administration. Who am I?

Question #9
Within the the last few years I appeared on an episode of Gridiron Outdoors on the Outdoor Channel. It was my first time ever hunting. Who am I?

'Bonus' Question #10
This song is forever attached to me. Who am I. Listen to the song for at least 30 secs to 1 minute to jog your memory. If you answered most of these correctly, you have done some serious homework & studying on the Rams....

Login to view embedded media View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isIABK-0ohQ

Los Angeles Rams vs. Dallas Cowboys full game 08/13/16 [2hr9m] Login to view embedded media View: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bx0xv4dXnJ8WOEx0S0tITTR5WDA/view

http://www.tmz.com/2016/08/17/robert-griffin-iii-i-got-my-new-chick-tatted-on-my-arm/

Seems RG3 is ALL IN with his new girlfriend ... 'cause he got her name TATTOOED ON HIS ARM!!



We're told the two hit up a tattoo parlor in Cleveland last month -- both got brand new ink on their forearms.

Robert's tat reads ... GRETE SADEIKO.

Boom.

Grete is the 23-year-old Florida State track star who has apparently been dating the Browns QB for at least a month.

By the way, Griffin is STILL MARRIED to his wife, the mother of his child ... though they are recently separated.

As for Grete's tattoo -- hard to see what it says. Wonder if it's his name?

Rams getting some positive reports.

Login to view embedded media View: http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-total-access/0ap3000000681870/How-will-the-Rams-offense-look-in-2016

Found this interesting. Oh and while I'm at it: get that ref some glasses!!!

NEW ORLEANS -- Former NFL star Darren Sharper has been sentenced to 18 years in prison in a case in which he was accused of drugging and raping as many as 16 women in four states.

U.S. District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo sentenced Sharper on Thursday, telling him she couldn't understand how he did what he did, since he was college educated and obviously had grown up "in one of the most loving households."

"We can never ignore the damage you inflicted on those women and society at large," she said.

Sharper had pleaded guilty in federal court in New Orleans to drugging three women so he could rape them. He also has pleaded guilty or no contest in state courts in Louisiana, Arizona, California and Nevada to charges arising from allegations of drugging and raping women.

"I would like to apologize a thousand times," Sharper said. He looked at the floor as he said, "I'm still trying to figure out why I made some of these choices. ... I lived my life right for 38 years, then I took this path."

His voice thickened and broke as he said his parents hadn't raised him to take such actions.

Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings. He played in two Super Bowls, one with the Packers as a rookie and one with New Orleans Saints when they won in 2010.

He ended a 14-year career in 2011. He was working as an NFL network analyst when women began telling police in several cities similar stories of blacking out while drinking with him and waking up groggy to find they had been sexually abused.

I found this interview, and thought it was impossible that Todd thinks some guys are, "haters"...I mean this dude has been a stud since I first saw him 3 years ago.
blob:http://www.stack.com/81de0dbf-6630-4205-9d14-3f7836460f36

http://www.stack.com/a/how-rams-rb-...utm_medium=Newsletter&utm_campaign=Newsletter

Todd Gurley found out early that you can't please everybody in life. In fact, no matter how much you accomplish, some people will say it's not good enough. You know haters—they're gonna hate.

Need proof? Consider the story of the Los Angeles Rams running back when he was coming out ofTarboro High School in Tarboro, North Carolina. Gurley had been a star on a football team that won three state championships in four years. As a senior, he ran for more than 2,600 yards and 38 touchdowns. He was also a highly successful track athlete, competing for Team USA in the 110-meter hurdles at the 2011 World Youth Championships in Athletics. Yet despite all of those achievements, haters, well, they kept hating.



"My biggest thing in high school was 'the never,'" Gurley says. "You hear that negativity. It kinda, you know, pisses you off. But at the end of the day, it just adds fuel to the fire."

Gurley says his approach to handling haters is to know that they're out there, but not give them or their criticisms any credit.


"You know, a lot of people will be like, 'Thanks to all of my haters and all of the people who said I couldn't do it,'" Gurley says. "But I would definitely never do it for them. Because I know what I'm capable of. I know I can do it."

Just as they did when he was coming out of high school, critics threw the "never" word at Gurley after college. Specifically, they said he'd never be the same after suffering a torn ACL, which he did during his last season at the University of Georgia. But again, Gurley proved them wrong.

After working strenuously to rehab his injury, Gurley returned to the field in time for his rookie season. He then ran for more than 1,100 yards and reached the end zone 10 times. His performance landed him a spot on the NFL's All-Rookie Team and in the 2016 NFL Pro Bowl, where he scored another TD to cap off the year.

Gurley says those achievements are just the beginning, haters be damned.


"If I have a dream, then I'm going to go and accomplish it," Gurley says. "But [haters] definitely add a bit of fuel to the fire."

I guess...this guy is easily a top 5 RB in the league...Arguably in the top 2........

Don't see any threads about this and I can't skim every single thread so sorry if this was talked about some where. But any news on Isaiah Battle's injury? Saw several tweets yesterday about him being carted off the field. Was really looking forward to seeing him play this week so that sucks.

8/17


I arrived to a clear, sunny and a very hot camp day to see defenders rotating through a turnover drill. The DB’s, LB’s and DL’s try to rip a football loose from various teammates. Greg Williams barking out commands. It was my first look at the Rams in person, and like last year, the image of these men is striking. TJ McDonald, Ogletree, Ayers, and, well pretty much every player looks physically imposing.

As I said, it’s a bunch of drills around the entire field. I walk from area to area. I’m looking for standouts. And I see one, it’s Greg Z. booming kicks through the goalposts. Our number 2 kicker, #1, doesn’t quite compare in leg strength. Finally I get to see some offense.

It was a bunch of players…RB’s taking handoffs from coaches. Gurley, Benny, and some #37…QB’s handing off…whistle blows and they’re off….

Wide receivers

In drills, it’s a bunch of passes from Goff, Keenum, and Mannion. Even a #2 gets a few throws in. I see Tavon, Thomas, Cooper, Quick, Britt, and North make catches. Everyone catches…Tough catches, easy catches…Nothing special. These guys are athletes. Players that impressed me were Thomas, Britt, Austin, Quick and Marquez North. Put the ball near these guys in a drill, in a tough location, and watch the crowd go, “oooh”…Duke looks pretty good too. Horn, the defensive backs come on over.

This is where it gets a lil competitive. Certain db’s on my side are Coty Sensabaugh, Joyner, #41. I also have the man known as Kenny Britt in line. There is a certain swagger about Britt. Confident and cocky. He does every rep hard. He always trying to get his feet down inbounds. True professional. And the best part, he usually wins. Sensabaugh, Joyner, whoever goes against Britt is in for a bad rep…And they know it. Marquez North is coming along too. Like, he’s picking up Britt’s energy, and he’s competing. After a while, the only db’s that stand out are Joyner, and Coty. Especially Joyner. I talked bad about those two after last game, but in drills, Joyner competes. He makes it tough. He gets his hands on some balls. Joyner LOOKS BETTER than every other player in one on one drills. Remember, one on ones are totally in the receiver’s advantage. You have to cover too much field. Most of the defenders try to “guess” the route. And they usually guess wrong. On the far side, I see #9 miss a pass, and pound his hand on the ground. He’s been playing up the, I want to compete angle…Hustling…I bet #9 plays Saturday….I catch Pharoh Cooper missing one..then next rep, he makes a corner of the end zone catch…He tells the defender about it. I look back across the field to see Mike Thomas diving in the end zone, laying out to catch a pass. Mike Thomas is a player. Then I see Duke Williams…..Duke is running a fade route, he holds the db back…like he literally holds him off with one hand, and makes a catch with the other. It was an impressive display of strength and coordination….The players celebrate with Duke by leaping up on him, twisting in the air…Horn….All in all, we have receivers…Who stood out…Britt, Thomas, Tavon, Quick, and Duke. North & Cooper can play too…But Cooper is not a natural catcher like Britt and Duke…Guys like that are made to catch red zone passes.

TE’s come over…Kendricks is built up man….Calves & Arms….Geez! Hemingway is a specimen too…I saw some drill where in one instant the TE would lay down after the catch, the other they’d run through the pass….I was disappointed that Higbee wasn’t practicing….But not surprised. Again, these are huge men, and he caught five passes last game. I know he’s still sore…Harkey was the only guy of note I remember with a drop, the other drops were by some player I couldn’t recognize…Again, defenders have little chance of success, and the ones who do just happened to guess right. Horn

Finally some scrimmaging…

Starters are the same…Keenum, Tavon, Britt, Kendricks, Gurley, somebody I’m missing….oh well, line was Robinson, Wichman, Barnes, Brown…and I’m sure it was Saffold…could be wrong… And the reason I rarely have mentioned line play is this, it’s very hard to see exactly who’s going hard, who’s really having to block. I want to preface my comments with, I don’t believe these men are playing all out. I mean, Donald isn’t really going hard. Brockers naw….Hayes & Simms….not really. Scrimmaging is watered down, the lack of intensity is startling… And I blame it on the size of these men… I could see where if some of these guys went at each other at 100%, injuries would be happening left and right…. So, Keenum hands off to Gurley, crowd goes wild….he’s fast man….Keenum throws one to the flat to Benny…Keenum throws another swing pass…Man…I didn’t see anyone throw a pass farther than 10 yards in “live” scrimmage…all day. Talk about vanilla…talk about some 7 & 9 bullshit… Look, I only know what I’d want practice to look like, and it seems we’re practicing to have problems scoring. Fisher yelled out, “:55 seconds on the clock…..”…1st team offense…they drove down to the 10 or so before time ran out….2nd team comes out. Same :55 seconds on the clock, one timeout…think Goff completed ONE pass…maybe two…but the thing is, he was locked on to his receiver to the left, play after play…I finally yelled out, “look to the other side!”…. You know, LA Champ stuff…My wife cringed, the crowd listened…Hell, I know Goff listened, he tried to look to the other side…My take, guys overwhelmed….Best arm on the team, but again, there are large and fast men out there…moving to do damage… I can see why he’s a little anxious…Maybe it’s some…I don’t know…but maybe they ARE installing some bits of the offense…Working on certain things…But to allow a young kid to constantly repeat bad techniques…and staring only to the left for 4 consecutive plays is BAD TECHNIQUE, allowing that seems counterproductive….Every pass in his :55 seconds was contested…Any NFL db is going to bait him, then pick him…My overall impression is, our offense is a work in progress…If the D-Line went hard, our offense would never move…I really want to see what the offense does against KC defense…Especially in the 1st quarter. Horn

We had a little more scrimmaging and it started getting heated, passes contested, big hits, and before the juices on these large men gets going, the final horn sounds. The linemen separate into a large group to stretch. The receivers break off and look like they’re catching passes from #2…Whatever it takes…


Final overview….I got to say I really enjoyed my time. I love football and the people it brings together…I met some ROD guys (what’s up @worldpeas ) & a RFU ( what’s up Elvis)….Beside being reminded 3 times to stay off the fence and stop taking pictures (and NO, I didn’t have a damn camera!) I think the Irvine campus is great. Stuff for kids to do. I’ll be back. For the team, lots of work needed brothers. Not going to sugar coat it. I’m reminded of Hammer….Oh, he was negative. I’ll be gentle.

Offense…What can I say? Not many passes traveled over 10-15 yards…How can you score doing that? When do you practice long passes? Keenum is like the little guy on a high school team…I don’t think we’re using Kenny Britt effectively. And that guy is a stud…He should get 100+ targets. We are focusing on passing. Everything is in shotgun. No use working on running plays while going 75%. Our 2nd unit…Goff’s unit…looks like a mess…I can’t tell what’s wrong with it…but it’s outta shape. It’s funked up…I have a buddy named 3K…He coined a phrase, “Fisherball”. And Jeff Fisher is always fucking with the offense…Always over there…Like he knows what is going on…Maybe he does…But if the offense is ground to a halt, look at Fisher…then Boras, and then Groh….If Goff gets in the end zone this week, everybody can rag on Champ…But, I don’t see Goff leading the team to the end zone. Not this week. I don’t see Keenum either…I expect Mannion to though…Mannion is throwing to Duke, and Thomas, and North….Those guys could start for me and are not the average 3rd stringers….They’ll have the advantage…

Defense…Big ass men….but they don’t really hit. I expect these guys to play better, but still be behind opponents. I did see tighter coverage on the outside. I think I saw Troy Hill on the 2nd team….I did see EJ Gaines…Wearing all white gear….I don’t think I saw him move full speed all day. He was lined up with the starters…Cody Davis started…Mo may be hurt…Barron wasn’t out there either…#50…think that’s Lynch, replace Mark Barron. Say uh-oh…say it like Scooby Doo, ruh-roh….


Players that popped. Kenny Britt. I have been tooting Quick’s horn. He’s like the padawan, Kenny’s the Jedi…No shit, Kenny is the real deal, The guy that reminds me of Kenny the most? Duke Williams. future pro, on this team or the next. he’s just better than the db’s that are sticking him. Strong man. Just like Britt.…Also watch out for Roberson & Hill to make some plays this weekend. Hell, look out for that Joyner & Sensabaugh tandem to really make amends. Joyner is a little guy…But he’s a try hard guy…He’s still getting beat though…But I respect him….Watch out for Mike Thomas…He’s always diving on the ground. Catching passes. He’s exciting to watch in person. I really like him more than Cooper. Cooper is not bad…shifty player…but not a stud. You know who also looked good? Marquez North…He pops. Dude made some really nice catches in drills. I see him getting some time. The #9 guy from U of Arizona…The guy off hard knocks, the one that was mad he didn’t get in the game…Look for him to play a lil….Don’t know about him. He competes hard…Or rather, reacts hard…Slams fist to the ground on every missed play…every single one. Look for that on the next hard knocks….he makes me think he’s acting…lol…Look for Tavon…I think they’re going to Britt & Quick this game….More than Tavon…But if Tavon gets one, he’s going to try to go to the house…He did that in the scrimmage today. Flew across the field. He is fast. Quick is considerably smaller than Britt now..IDK…Look for him to get considerable action on Saturday too. Last player that popped to me was Kendricks. He saw a lot of action in the 11 on 11’s. In fact, besides the backs, the TE’s received the most targets. Kendricks, Hemingway, and that Justice Cunningham. Benny’s big brother…Naw, that guy looks good. Our TE’s look good.

Players that pooped…Well, QB’s….they didn’t throw the ball…Maybe they don’t want to do that in front of the fans…You know…Spies…Put that camera down! I’m sure Pete Carrol & Bruce Arians send down spies in all white Rams gear…because…you know the Rams are SOOOO GOOOOD!.... ahahhahahahah But if Keenum is going to get any better, shouldn’t he like, you know, press the ball downfield a lil? In practice? I couldn’t imagine Brett Farve down here…He’d go crazy. Mannion & Goff have pretty decent arms too…Maybe this was swing practice Wednesday? Can’t say anyone really did badly. Just the lack of intensity, but I understand. Too many huge men. Goff…man…IDK….

My wife’s Facebook page notified her that a year ago today, we went to the Oxnard camp to watch the rams. Missed the fight by one day..dagnabit. I saw the Chase Reynolds fight today. Chase came up after his run with an uppercut to the guy still barking at him. Is Chase feeling some pressure?…I think I’ll go again next week. I hope I can get better, just like our Rams.

http://www.espn.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/30159/jared-goff-runs-with-the-first-team

Alden GonzalezESPN Staff Writer

IRVINE, Calif. -- Jared Goff, the No. 1 overall pick who is being groomed to eventually become the Los Angeles Rams' starting quarterback, took a handful of snaps with the first-team offense during Wednesday's practice and is expected to do so in an actual game on Saturday.

Rams coach Jeff Fisher said he wants to give Goff a series or two with the starters in the second week of the preseason schedule, when the Kansas City Chiefs visit Los Angeles Coliseum for a game that begins at 6 p.m. PT. Case Keenum still took most of the first-team reps from UC Irvine and "is still clearly ahead" of Goff on the depth chart, Fisher said.

Goff's first-team reps came mostly on running plays, though he did complete a couple of short passes to the outside.

"I feel like every day I am more comfortable, more fluid, more in a rhythm; stuff becomes more natural every day," Goff said. "It’s been going well."

But Goff still has some growing pains.

On Tuesday, he threw a couple of picks and fumbled a couple of snaps, at one point even getting tripped up while coming out from under center. On at least a couple of occasions Wednesday, Goff -- accustomed to running a no-huddle offense and taking almost every snap from the shotgun at Cal -- didn't get the ball out quickly enough on standard three-step drops. But he also completed a 40-yard pass to Bradley Marquez, his trusty training partner, during 7-on-7 drills and later effectively orchestrated a two-minute drill with the second unit.

"I thought he was fine," Fisher said of Goff, as he usually does. "I need a card to hold up that says, 'Jared was fine,' and put it back down."

Asked what it is he would still like to refine, Goff said: "I don't know if I can pinpoint one thing. It’s trying to feel more comfortable every day with everything we do. It’s not one particular thing. When we’re in a certain drill I’m working on the one particular thing, and then when we go with the team I’m just trying to play."

Goff believes he has "grown exponentially" since the start of organized team activities on May 31 and that Week 2 will come easier because "it won't be all new."

Fisher said he measures Goff's performance independent of Keenum's, "But we have to be realistic, because who's going to eventually give us the best chance to win? And when is that going to be?"

Goff relieved Keenum and went 4-for-9 for 38 yards in the Rams' 28-24 victory over the Cowboys last weekend, with two of his passes dropped by rookie receiver Pharoh Cooper. On his second pass, the 21-year-old rookie didn't anticipate the blitz, was hit while trying to throw downfield and threw an interception. That hit, by Cowboys linebacker Derek Akunne, led to a sore non-throwing shoulder that forced Goff to sit after just two series.

"I'm definitely excited to get back out there and get a chance to compete and show what I can do," Goff said.
wants to be.

"Oh, not as close as you’d like," Goff said. "Every day you try to get better, and I don’t think I’ll ever be complacent and happy with where I am, no matter what. You always want to get better, and I think that will remain true for the rest of my career"


Some additional notes from Wednesday's practice, the second consecutive one with full pads ...
Robert Quinn's sister, Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, was disqualified while competing in the 100-meter semifinal hurdles in the Summer Olympics. Camacho-Quinn was among the leaders through seven hurdles, but knocked down the eighth and ninth and then stumbled and fell through the 10th and final hurdle. Quinn was excused from practice Tuesday and Wednesday to watch her and could return by
Thursday.

• 
  Undrafted rookie receiver Nelson Spruce, who led the team with six catches and 51 receiving yards in the preseason opener, was walking around practice with a knee brace. And the "Hard Knocks" cameras were following closely behind. Spruce was initially expected to miss a week or two of action.

• Rookie tight end Tyler Higbee, who caught five passes on Saturday, and running back Aaron Green, who scored the winning touchdown, did not practice because Fisher said they "needed a break." Tackle Isaiah Battle hurt his knee during a pass rush, but Fisher said it "doesn't look like there's anything serious."

• Linebacker Mark Barron was held out of practice for a third straight day on Wednesday, but Fisher said he's "on track" to play on Saturday. Strong safety Maurice Alexander returned to practice, but mainly worked out on the side with one of the coaches.

• 
  

Rams CB E.J. Gaines is finally ready to play again
By Alden Gonzalez

[www.espn.com]

IRVINE, Calif. -- Players who miss significant time to injuries will often come away saying the recovery process went by much faster than they anticipated. Not E.J. Gaines, the Los Angeles Rams cornerback who missed the entire 2015 season recovering from foot surgery.

"It feels like five full years, honestly," Gaines said. "Not playing for a full year definitely took a toll on me."

Gaines is finally on his way back now, cleared for full-speed activity and getting ready to play in Saturday's game against the Kansas City Chiefs in the Los Angeles Coliseum. It'll mark Gaines' first game action since Dec. 21, 2014, the end of a solid rookie season that included 15 starts, a team-high 14 pass breakups and four takeaways as the Rams' second cornerback, opposite the recently departed Janoris Jenkins.

The 24-year-old suffered a severe Lisfranc injury -- when one or more metatarsal bones are displaced from the tarsus -- during the third training camp practice last year. Gaines had two surgeries -- one to insert screws in his foot and one to remove them. And he watched most of the Rams' games on TV, never quite knowing if he would regain his starting role.

"I expect myself to step up and play better than I did as a rookie," Gaines said. "Most definitely. No steps backwards. No excuses for surgery or foot injuries. Just keep it going from where I left off."

The Rams will need him to.

Jenkins, the leader of the secondary, is gone, having signed a five-year, $62.5 million contract with the New York Giants. Stalwart safety Rodney McLeod is gone too, via a five-year, $37 million deal with the Philadelphia Eagles. Trumaine Johnson -- the man whose preseason knee injury paved the way for Gaines to start opposite Jenkins in 2014 -- has moved into the primary cornerback spot. And now Gaines is competing with the likes of Lamarcus Joyner, Coty Sensabaugh and Marcus Roberson for the No. 2 spot.

"E.J.'s got the starting experience," Rams coach Jeff Fisher said. "We've just got to get this foot thing behind him."

Gaines proclaims that it is. He spent a couple of weeks dealing with a hamstring issue, which prompted him to miss the preseason opener against the Cowboys, but that has since healed, too.

Now it's all about getting reacclimated to game speed.

"You can simulate it as much as you’d like in practice, but nothing is really like the game time," Gaines said. "That’s why Saturday’s going to be it. ... It took a long time. It’s been a long time coming to get back out here on the field, so I’m just excited."

Login to view embedded media View: http://www.therams.com/videos/videos/Jared-Goff-Rams-Camp-Presser---817/fc17c108-56b0-4a1d-996c-0c179770d28b

Login to view embedded media View: http://www.therams.com/videos/videos/Jeff_Fisher_Rams_Camp_Presser_817/7bb55023-b5f2-41f2-b66b-6efe7be4852b

Login to view embedded media View: http://www.therams.com/videos/videos/Inside_Training_Camp_Goff_Impresses/be8eb038-49d9-483b-a052-79a4c9401ae6

Before I post my short conversation with DeMarco Farr. I'll try to answer the Q's posted in yesterday's TC thread.
Thx everyone, for your kind words on my report. I'm a bit overwhelmed. I'm a PC dummy (self taught), my skills are limited, so bear with me as I try to answer your Q's in the order they were posted. I don't know how to put up the Q first so I'll just answer as best I can.

MFaulk- All 3 QB's look good to me, they made mistakes, but all looked comfortable and confident. Sean Mannion impressed me the most. Can the Rams really have 3 capable starters?

Mojo- On QB snaps under C. Great question, because I didn't get into that on my report. They did this thing with a bunji cord tied around their waist, they lined up under C, and when the ball was snapped, a trainer 10 feet behind him, stretched to bunji cord, making the QB have a harder time setting his stance for a throw. Left me scratching my head as I had no idea how that drill helped the QB. Hopefully someone here can explain it. Anyway they practiced that for about 20 min. Centers were, Barnes, Folkerts, Rhaney and Kush. QB's rotated after every 3 snaps.

KurtFaulk-- On cooking shrimp. Only one way to cook shrimp, with garlic, butter and coconut.

Dx- I thin Fisher wants all 3 QB's comfortable running the 1st team offense, looked to me in all the drills they shared equal time with the ones. On Hill. Very good 1st contact off the line, disrupting the WR from going into his route and sticks pretty good with his man, but had trouble with the bigger WR;s, Britt, Quick. Hill is going to move up the depth chart at DB. Gaines looked rusty, slow in his backpedle, but hell, his1st practice in over a year.

LAChamp- DB's and WR's spent a lot of time against each other. GW, Fisher, and several other coaches overseeing and a lot of yelling and arm waving. I was too far away to hear what was being said, but it was apparent both DB's and WR's were being coached up. They started the drill with 2 WR's (like in the slot) and 2 DB;s across the line ( and NOT 5 or 10 yds off like in the cowboy game). Damn I was pleased to see that! A whistle started the drill and DB's went right after the WR. Another whistle stopped the drill.the point of the practice? I'm guessing, for WR's go get a step on DB off the line, for DB's to jam up WR and disrupt the route. DB's were playing TIGHT. They did this for almost 1/2 hr. Guys were dripping sweat and gulping Gatorade after, and Fisher and GW patting guys on the back Oh, the best DB in this drill? TruJo and Roberson. Best WR? Quick and Britt.

someone asked who started 11 on 11's- Keenum did, but again, they all got reps with the 1st team.

Lots of Q's about Battle- This guy is big. He doesn't look like your typical OLineman. No gut or fat ass. Guy just looks very athletic. Quick on his feet and very fluid looking. You can tell he's very raw and unskilled at T though. Battle is going to start when he learns how to play. probably the strongest guy of the OL, maybe even the team (watch out Donald). Watching him put Simms on his ass was the highlight of my day, and Simms didn;t take it very well. If Simms gets cut it wouldn't hurt my feelings.

43-- On Ogletree. Tree was very vocal all day in whatever drill they were doing. He looks to be taking a leadership role. when they were too far away and I couln;t hear, I could see him waving his arms, pointing, a lot of huddling with 2 or4 of the other lb;s I liked what I saw from Ogletree both in his play and in his leadership.

After one pre-season game and attending one practice I'm not making any predictions on the Rams season. Its apparent to me there is a lot talent and players seem to be excited and buy in to Fisher and his staff. What stood out was the OL and DL. Great competition between the two, lots of pushing and shoving and angry words during drills, but all of them walking off together after practice. I think it bodes well for the Rams season if these two lines stay injury free.

Great Q's. Made me remember and post more of what I saw. sorry if I missed someone's Q. Remember, this is all just my opinion. I tried to be accurate posting what I saw. I'm sure not all will agree with my assesments. For me, I kinda feel like I'm giving back. For over 10 years I depended on other folks to go to TC and post reports. the Rev, coachO, FloridaRam, RAMZEE and many others from different forums. I know a lot of you from other forums, and like you, I scour the internet for anything relating to the Rams. all of us having that in common transcends any alligence to any one forum. So with my blessing if anyone wants to use any of my posts to another site or forum please feel free. maybe we can recruit some new Rams fans.

I'm going to create another thread to post my conversation with DeMarco Farr, Andy Donnal (very short) and Mark Barron (shorter still), later on today. sorry I haven't gotten to it yet but I will before the day is over.

I'm gong to try and get to another practice. Depends on family demands and if I can get away.

Heading to camp, camera in hand. Getting a late start so I guess I'll miss warmups.

Anyone else going? I'll have a tan safari hat and blue button down shirt. I'll check back here once I'm set up

i have to believe this kid has a real shot. Him in camp is almost about him acting like a man and showing he's ready to work, than it is him performing. He ran a slow 40 like everyone loves to point out but Trumaine Johnson has been quoted praising his speed. He's DEFINATELY a gamer. He seems to be getting along well, he won the Strongest Hands contest as witnessed on Hard Knocks which I realize is not relevant, and he just gives the Rams something no other player does on that roster . He blocks well, and I GUARENTEE Fisher knew what he had from his Auburn buddies before camp started.

I have said it before, if two years ago we were told this season we'd have both Duke and the #1 drafted QB we oud have all done cartwheels. The WR position will be interesting, because some guys could lose there jobs. Spruce , Duke, and Thomas all are I. The mix. I was not a believer In Spruce but now am.

In regards to Brian Quick....did anyone else get that sick feeling he will never grow up and into a player while watching him role that vehicle on Hard Knocks? Off a shoulder injury, by all rights a bust this far, and kid does something that reckless.

Just a few, I think. Such is the talent level of our roster. And trading away premium picks didn't help.

And yet, despite all, I see three. Maybe four depending on how one defines "starter".

They say that any draft that yields 3 starters is a damned good draft.

Goff. Might be opening day. Maybe a few games into the season. But surely by mid season, don't you think?

Higbee. Clearly our pass catching TE of the future. Gonna be lots of 2 TE sets, of course. But Higbee meets my definition of a starter.

Either Cooper or Spruce in the slot. It's gonna be one or the other, I think.

Maaaaaybe both of them could be on the field at the same time in certain sets? But that wouldn't meet the definition of starter, strictly speaking, would it?

Don't see any other likely rookie starters on O, barring an extreme calamity.

Don't see a single rookie starter cracking this D, either.

Still, 3 rookie starters out of a draft class of a 1st, two 4ths, and three 6ths is pretty danged good, IMO. Kinda remarkable, when one thinks about it. Certainly exceeded my expectations. And those of probably 90% of pundits.

Helluva job, S&F.

Not too bad with the UDFA's either, come to think of it.

http://www.espn.com/blog/nflnation/...binson-excels-despite-a-little-weight-problem

Rams OT Greg Robinson excels despite 'a little weight problem'

IRVINE, Calif. -- Los Angeles Rams left tackle Greg Robinson had quite possibly the greatest game of his professional career on Saturday. Rams coach Jeff Fisher volunteered it and Robinson firmly agreed to it, a rousing development for the former No. 2 draft pick who is in desperate need of a breakthrough season.
It happened even though Robinson is admittedly overweight.
"I’m dealing with a little weight problem," Robinson said. "But it’s camp."

Robinson spent the offseason training harder than he ever really has, building strength and working under the tutelage of former Pro Bowl center LeCharles Bentley. But he's 14 pounds heavier than he'd like to be. Robinson was playing at 336 pounds as of Tuesday's practice. His top range is 325; his ideal weight is 322. And the coaches have been on him about getting it back there.

Robinson called it "water weight" because the heat in Southern California has forced him to consume excessive amounts of water -- but he also knows he must monitor his eating habits.

No more food after 9 p.m.

"Just eat healthier, try to watch what I eat and don’t snack too much," Robinson said. "That’s the main thing. And just be aware of the possibilities of gaining weight. It’s so easy because there’s so much food right now."
The Rams took a big risk by selecting Robinson out of Auburn University with their second overall pick in 2014 and have yet to benefit. Robinson was the most-penalized offensive lineman in the NFL last season, but an even bigger issue was the amount of times he allowed pressure on the Rams' quarterbacks.

Pro Football Focus ranked the Rams' offensive line 28th last season, which spoke loudly of Robinson's shortcomings.

The 23-year-old Robinson needs a big 2016 season to protect the blind side of prized rookie quarterback Jared Goff and to avoid the "draft bust" label. His first chance at that, in the early stages of an eventual 28-24 victory over the Cowboys at a packed Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, was encouraging.

Fisher said it "may have been the best preseason game that Greg has played to date."

"Light years better," Robinson said, "and one of the best games I've had in terms of slowing the game down. I felt no pressure for real. Things were just going smoothly. I wouldn't say there isn't room for improvement, but I do feel like I attacked that game with the right mindset, the proper preparation, and things went a lot smoother than last year."

Robinson merely called it a "stepping stone," but he feels stronger, healthier. He noticed how much quicker he's been coming out of his stance, even with some of that unwanted weight lingering. And he believes his mindset is "just a lot more advanced than last year," when he continually struggled to adapt to the more advanced zone-blocking schemes of the NFL.

Robinson took 13 snaps with the first-team offense on Saturday and never once allowed a hint of pressure. He stepped out to effectively help on running plays, kept defenders in front of him on every chance and did not get penalized. (That's a big deal this year.)

But here's the thing -- it was only 13 snaps.

"I did feel a little winded in the game," Robinson said, "and we didn’t really have many reps."

Yeah, the weight needs to come down

i know we have a few folks on here that use tractors and I need some advice. I know I need a compact utility tractor. But not sure which one.

I am looking to get a small tractor for my property. I don't need anything big at all, want something that I can get a 60" cut as well as a brush hog attachment. I have about 15 acres of land with a mix of lawn, horse pasture and woods, so I need something small enough to get in my woods and keep my trails tame, may require taking trees out now and then. Something small enough to cut my grass like a dream and something with the muscle to do the occasional heavy lifting I may need in terms of pulling something such as a small trailer. The property was my in-laws and has been over grown and I need a little muscle to help tame it down. I don't want to be fooled by a recognizable brand. I want to get the best bang for my buck.

We are moving out here to make it home, but it needs a lot of work. I'm seeing these online with the options I would want from Kubota and JD for about 15K. Before I jumped in I just wanna make sure I wouldn't be over paying. Maybe there is a great brand that cost less that I'm not aware of. Any help is great help.

Rams' defensive linemen respond to Coach Jeff Fisher's challenge

By Gary Klein

[www.latimes.com]

The Rams’ defensive line is supposed to be the team’s strength, a cornerstone for a unit that must be stout as the offense seeks to develop an identity beyond running back Todd Gurley.

So defensive tackle Aaron Donald took Coach Jeff Fisher’s words as a challenge.

After the Rams’ exhibition opener against the Dallas Cowboys, Fisher said his team was not ready to play run defense and that it would be a focus of attention this week in practice.

“It’s a challenge to us,” Donald said after Tuesday’s workout. “We have to improve our game.

“We had mistakes, but that’s part of the game. . . . That’s just going to motivate us to work harder.”

Donald, a two-time Pro Bowl player, leads a line that features tackle Michael Brockers and ends William Hayes and Robert Quinn.

Quinn was absent from practice Tuesday because he was in Brazil to watch his sister compete in the Olympics, Fisher said.

Jasmine Camacho-Quinn attends Kentucky and won the NCAA 100-meter hurdles title. She is competing for Puerto Rico in the Rio de Janeiro Games.

Fisher said Quinn approached him during the summer about the possibility of leaving camp for the Olympics.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Fisher said, adding, “It’s a really a neat thing for Rob and his family. It’s the right thing to do to let him go down there.”

Quinn, a Pro Bowl pick in 2013 and 2014, is coming off back surgery and did not play against the Cowboys. But Fisher said he expected Quinn would play on Saturday night against the Kansas City Chiefs, “unless he has some flight issues.”

Donald said he was looking forward to playing the Chiefs after feeling “a little rusty” against the Cowboys.

“The speed of the game was a little different, but that’s part of the preseason — to get yourself ready,” he said. “It’s not going to be perfect. You want room for improvement, so that’s a good thing.”

Learning curve

Quarterback Jared Goff had a bit of a rough day.

The rookie had a pass intercepted by defensive back Marcus Roberson during seven-on-seven drills. Cornerback Lamarcus Joyner also picked off a pass during a team drill but the play appeared to have ended before the pass was thrown.


Goff also had a few snap-exchange challenges and tripped and fell.

“He had a couple issues out here today that he learns from,” Fisher said.

Most of Goff’s work came with the second-team offense. He did take one first-team series, and Fisher has said it was “quite likely” he would take first-team snaps against the Chiefs.

Making a run

Gurley is the star running back, Benny Cunningham his backup.

With Tre Mason absent from camp and his status in limbo, Malcolm Brown, Aaron Green and Terrence Magee are competing for roles.

Brown, a second-year pro from Texas, rushed for a team-best 66 yards in eight carries against the Cowboys.

“It’s only one game,” he said, “so I just have to stay consistent with it.”

The 5-foot-11, 224-pound Brown aims to contribute carrying and catching the ball, in pass protection and on special teams.

His said his confidence has grown since his rookie season.

“It’s crazy what confidence can do,” he said. “I feel like confidence is something I definitely have now as opposed to last year.”

Quick hits

Linebacker Mark Barron and safety Maurice Alexander did not practice. Fisher said they were held out to give them a day off. “Nothing to be concerned with,” he said. Offensive tackle Rob Havenstein remains sidelined because of a foot injury. Fisher said “we’re just waiting.” . . . . Rookie receiver Michael Thomas, who has dropped several passes during camp, caught a long touchdown pass from quarterback Case Keenum. . . . Cornerback E.J. Gaines, sidelined last week because of a hamstring issue, took a few snaps with the first-team defense and had good coverage on a deep sideline pass to Kenny Britt that fell incomplete. . . . Tight end Temarrick Hemingway made several nice catches for the second day in a row. . . . The Rams practice Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. Running backs and wide receivers will sign autographs afterward.

I thought we could start a thread about any changes we noticed. I'm sure there will be more come Saturday:

- One thing that I've seen is a number of shotgun formations where the running back aligns not next to the qb but in front and to the side of the QB. I've seen this before (most notably with GB though I don't know if they do it much anymore). Benefits? I guess pass protection and the back can go out on routes quicker/different routes... interesting.

- Empty sets with 3-WR, 1 RB and TE. RB out wide, TE near the line of scrimmage.

- TE's lining wide in general. Lots on Kendricks and Higbee wide.

- Tavon in the slot. Rarely happened last year. Looks like they may want to try him there (of course he dropped the ball targeted to him from the slot).

- Shotgun 3 WR sets with all WRs aligned on one side with the TE inline on the other covering the RB.

- Not a playbook change but they're really trying to give Cooper a lot of time in the slot. He was back in for at least one play in the 3rd with Mannion.

PS. I gotta be honest, if Keenum runs the offense like he did in those few series in the next few preseason games, I won't shed a tear if Goff rides the bench for a bit.

I'm going to write this out as in a timeline from when I got there to when I left. Bear in mind I'm not a scout or a trained writer and I'm very opinionated. I'm writing what I observed and my take on it. Like all of you, I'm a die hard Rams fan and appreciate all the info I can get about the Rams and I want to return the favor to others that have taken the time to post reports. My turn, (for what its worth).

Got onto the field about 3pm, nice day, about 80F with a slight breeze. Not a lot of people maybe 8 or 9 hundred, couple thousand at the peak of TC. Guys came out and stretched at 3:30 for about 20 min. Defense was in white, Offense blue. Two fields, north and south. they split up into groups and I got the OL nearest me (N field). Havenstien on the field but not in Pads. The rest of OL, including Battle, in pads and shorts. Saffold, Robinson, Donnal and Battle did this thing with a medicine ball, taking snaps coming off a fist on the turf and hitting the guy with the medicine ball against his chest. Never saw that before. Looked to be for Battle and Donnal's benefit. OL worked on zone blocking.
S field. ST work, this was where Fisher was. Punt returns and KO return. Because ST guys come from both O and D, they had return guys wear red caps that fit over their helmets. Cooper , Chase Reynolds, McRoberts, Cunningham fielding returns. Fassell lots of yelling. spent over 1/2 hr on returns. ( no one dropped a ball) I could see staff concentrating on gunners, and interior blocking (the big guys in the middle) mostly who fassel was yelling at.
At the same time @ N field, QB's practice taking snaps from under C ( Barnes, Folkerts, Kush, Rhaney) All QB's looked fliud w/ no missnaps.

4pm horn, field changes. N field LB's DB's and WR's. S field, TE's and QB's. WR's and DB's,LB's bump and run first contact off snap. Db's and WR's really getting after it. GW was right there screaming at Db's. (no soft coverage next Saturday?) Whoever is Wr coach sure gave em hell too. Fisher also came over and put his 2 cents in.that went on for 20 min. Missed what was going on at other field.

4:30 horn, change of drills. N field Offense practiced running plays. Gurley, Cunningham, Brown, Magee, Green. then short passes to RB's most over the middle. Keenum, Goff, Mannion all switched off RB's. Looked like all got same reps. Gurley, Cunningham exelled. Mannion best QB on this drill. OL GRob, Wichmann, Barnes, Brown, Saffold. After five or six plays, OL, Williams, rhaney, Folkets, Reynolds, Donnal.

5pm horn 11 on 11 S field. I had to move to another bleacher so I missed some. 1st team D (minus Quinn, I never saw his # on the field). Hayes, Donald, Brockers, Simms. OL GRob, Wichmann, Barnes, Brown, Saffold. A lot of passes to Gurley coming out of the backfield. Cunningham too. this seemed to be something they concentrated on because they didn't substitute on either side of the ball for, like 15 minutes. Only subs were Keenum for Goff, then Gurley for Cunningham. It was by far the highlight of the practice. Lots of hooting and hollering by the rams players watching on the sidelines. Both RB's have GREAT hands. One of the DB's did get an int though. Very intense. OL pass blocking was very good, both QB's got time. Donald was still his disruptive self, but Barnes stood him up a couple of times. Looking up for OL IMHO.
11 on 11 went on to seam and over the middle with WR's and TE's. Britt and Quick got a lot of attention. All 3 QB's got time with the ones and all looked good. Only drops came from(sigh) Thomas. (Though he did make some catches, one deep from Mannion).

Of the TE's, Higbee gets open and catches everything, Hemmingway got several targets and made some good catches. Harkey is a monster. Standing next to Saffold not much size difference. Austin was all over the place and bounces around like he's on speed. Austin was not targeted a lot though. Marquez and Quick ran sharp routes made good catches. DB Hill got time with 1's, he did a good job sticking with Wr's. Battle got time at RT with 2's. good 45 min scrimmage. Mannion and Goff can both sling it deep. Mannion to Thomas had good deep hookup in endzone. Goff to Quick for good play.

Horn and drill change. N field, OL vs DL DE Seau up against Saffold or GRob, looks like a mismatch, but Seau is a tough quick Hombre. Simms looks slow. My highlight: Battle pancaked Simms and Hayes.

That was pretty much it for the intense stuff. I Got to talk with DeMacro Farr. He seems to think rams talent is there to make the playoffs, but the youth (Rams still youngest team in NFL) and inexperience will take them another season or two before they can put it all toghether for a really good playoff run.

Sorry it took so long to get this up. I hope Rams Fans that read this, get something out of it. I enjoyed the experience, and I thought the Rams practiced hard and with inteseity. I believe they buy into Jeff Fisher, I know some of you don;'t, and I;m on the fence.

I could have posted more, but what I just posted took over 2 hours and I know folks want to hear something about todays practice. I've been on that end more than a few times. any q's post it here.

PS. Spruce was in civies with a brace on his left knee.