2014 Rams Training Camp Notes

[Retroram52]

I think I have made that abundantly clear in several posts in several threads jacobarch. I get that this is practice and made that disclaimer about pads and games. What I posted here was more of a report of what I am reading. Perhaps you require a disclaimer each post I make? Reminding me of something I have already stated several times really is useless but you can put it your posts if that is what you like to do.

 

[Clayton]

-Jenkins is definitely a guy with a lot to prove. He was terrible last year and a lot of us think that it might have been the coaching. I'm not jumping to conclusions based on practice but it could go either way with him.

-Britt is a legit #1 WR. His issues have always been staying on the field. He is going to be a huge weapon for the Rams.

-I'm starting to think that the Rams just drafted Michael Sam for the 'teammate' effect. You saw Austin and Bailey from West Virginia and now we have Robinson and Mason from Auburn and Gaines and Sam from Mizzou. Maybe there is something to be gained in the process when you know someone coming in.

 

[Retroram52]

It is definitely a krap shoot as to the reason they drafted him Clayton.

 

[Vitamike]

I think I have made that abundantly clear in several posts in several threads jacobarch. I get that this is practice and made that disclaimer about pads and games. What I posted here was more of a report of what I am reading. Perhaps you require a disclaimer each post I make? Reminding me of something I have already stated several times really is useless but you can put it your posts if that is what you like to do.

I'm not sure if this is

OR

But either way, I'm sure it's not just a ...

post!

 

[jacobarch]

Haha you beat me to it

 

[Retroram52]

LOL!! You guys kill me. I see you found the bro down emoticon, Vita. Lol. No, it wasn't a post whore post either! Lol.

 

[Vitamike]

LOL!! You guys kill me. I see you found the bro down emoticon, Vita. Lol. No, it wasn't a post whore post either! Lol.

Yep!

Good stuff!

Thanks for the heads up!

 

[ANGELAKERAMS]

Does Warner even want to coach?

I think he is quite comfortable doing what he's doing now. His schedule is way more flexible and less demanding than that of a coach.

 

[Retroram52]

Yea Angelakerams. The guy would actually have to want to coach and he probably doesn't in order for Warner to accept an offer. Sometimes a guy doesn't know he wants to coach until he gets an offer. Sort of what happen to Kevin Greene who is now a pretty good LB coach. I was just indulging in a personal fantasy I suspect.

 

[Vitamike]

Rams Camp Report: Day 5




EARTH CITY, Mo. -- A daily review of the hot topics coming out of St. Louis Rams training camp:

• The Rams put the shoulder pads on for the first time in this training camp Tuesday afternoon and it resulted in a little bit more of an even playing field. After the top defense dominated the first-team offense for much of the opening days of camp, the addition of pads got the offense some traction. Quarterback Sam Bradford had what looked like his best practice of camp as he frequently connected on passes down the field. The primary recipient? Receiver Brian Quick. Quick is off to a good start in this camp and only built on that start with Tuesday's work. Bradford and Quick hooked up a couple of times on deep balls in early team drills and then Quick brought even more cheers when he caught another deep ball from rookie quarterback Garrett Gilbert later on. Bradford also hit receiver Kenny Britt for about a 40-yard touchdown deep down the right sideline as Britt got behind cornerback Brandon McGee. That play elicited the biggest cheers of the day.

• One thing that needs to be cleaned up early on is pre-snap penalties. So far, both sides of the ball have been guilty of jumping early. In many places, you'd allow for the benefit of the doubt since it's so early in camp, but the Rams have been persistent penalty magnets in the two years under coach Jeff Fisher and many of the infractions can be attributed to veteran players who should be past such mistakes. There isn't necessarily one player in particular jumping early, which might make it more frustrating for Fisher and his staff since it can be harder to rein in a team-wide issue.

• Progress is coming for defensive end William Hayes, offensive tackle Jake Long and center Scott Wells. All three have been participating in some individual work early in practice and Hayes and Wells, in particular, look to be close to a return. Hayes said after practice he had a couple of offseason procedures, though the nature of his injuries are unknown. Wells' injuries are also unknown at this point but none of that will matter much if they get back on the field soon. For what it's worth, Hayes says this is as good as he's felt since his second year in the league. That was 2009.

• A few developments of note at running back. Zac Stacy continues to get most of the work with the first team, but Tre Mason got a few reps Tuesday afternoon and Benny Cunningham is finding his way onto the field some as well. Isaiah Pead sat out the practice and was wearing what appeared to be a cast on his right hand.
  

• Some special guests were in the house Tuesday, including the bulk of the University of Missouri football coaches. Defensive end Michael Sam, cornerback E.J. Gaines, receiver T.J. Moe and center Tim Barnes spent some time with the staff after practice and Sam said it was good to see the group. Former Cleveland Browns general manager Phil Savage also took in the workout.

 

[SJ76]

Kurt Warner is not the only one who wants an aggressive Sam Bradford.

 

[SJ76]

"But there’s also part of that position where you have to step up and separate yourself and be able to carry your team."


"I think the one thing for me when I watch film is I want to see him develop the confidence where he's willing to take some chances with the football. That he's willing to say, 'Guys, follow me.' I'm going to carry us a little bit. I'm going to take that shot down the field because I see it and I believe I can make it as opposed to second-guessing himself and throwing the check down."


LMAO


Warner went on to say that he's OK with the occasional check down, but his general argument is one that has been a sticking point for many observers of Bradford since he entered the league. Some attribute his unwillingness to throw down the field to a lack of a trustworthy receiver, which also has some truth to it. But from the sound of Warner, it's more about being willing to take the risk that he can make a throw good enough to give the receiver no choice but to make the play.




-Kurt Warner & SJ76

 

[Vitamike]

I hope I'm wrong but I don't think Sam will ever have a coach say a loud during a play....

What the hell is he thinking?

Uh ..... great play.....


Reminds me of Ron Artest saying, with a huge grin, after he won the NBA Championship with the Lakers vs Boston... "I could hear Phil's voice in my head at the end of Game 7 saying 'Don't take a three here Ron!' and yet I took it anyway, I made it and we won!

Sam lets his coaches coach and would do much better if he just reacted to what he sees on the field instead of playing it safe all the time as Brain has instructed him to do.

That safe play works well in the NFC West because one mistake and you can give up the game but for most NFL defenses, he should take some chances when a decent opportunity present itself in the game. Brian's too conservative and doesn't want the 'blame' for taking chances.

Just as you can take the 'No Guts, No Glory' thing too far, so can you take the 'All Guts, No Glory' thing too far.

Sometimes you gotta have the Guts, trust in yourself, your team and make the big play!

 

[SJ76]

NO he's never going to be that QB that makes something out of nothing.


He's a pocket QB like Brady, Manning, that should run every once in awhile when he sees 10+ yards and he might get 4.


Which is all the more reason to have a stout running game, run play action, and mix in some crazy plays with Tavon.


It's all about keeping the defense honest/off balance.


But it's on him to pull the trigger, take chances, and not worry about numbers. Warner hit it on the nose, you have to be confident and take chances.


Capt. Checkdown has got to go!!

 

[Retroram52]

I thought you'd enjoy that article SJ76. Warner stated much of what you and Vita have been stating for some time (and arguing of course). Warner sees the same things you do and I suspect more people see it as well. The task this year is to get it between the ears of Bradford, otherwise the Rams have made it clear that his big money and playing days with them will be through and they will look elsewhere.

 

[BOSS429Mustang]

NO he's never going to be that QB that makes something out of nothing.


He's a pocket QB like Brady, Manning, that should run every once in awhile when he sees 10+ yards and he might get 4.


Which is all the more reason to have a stout running game, run play action, and mix in some crazy plays with Tavon.


It's all about keeping the defense honest/off balance.


But it's on him to pull the trigger, take chances, and not worry about numbers. Warner hit it on the nose, you have to be confident and take chances.


Capt. Checkdown has got to go!!

Well it's really not fair to compare Bradford to Warner......Bradford wouldn't make a pimple on Warner's left butt cheek.

So lets be fair and compare Bradford to somebody more comparable.....like that guy in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies....Davy Jones.......somebody else without a heart.....

We'll be better off when Captain Checkdown AND Captain Archaic Offense (Buffoon Shottenheimer) are both gone.

 

[SJ76]

Brian Quick has to become a beast in the game too, not just in practice. I'll keep it real and fair. We'll see what Britt has left after some injuries as well. If those 2 big WR's can play 16 games at a high level and mix in Tavon, Bradford has no excuses left.


Now whether or not our secondary is average or below is another question. That's the question I have before I go getting a hard-on for what the WR's do in practice. None of our CB's besides Trumaine can match up with a 6'3 220lb WR.


And when/ IF our secondary sucks this year, while we have a 1st round DT on the sideline on most plays besides 3rd down, some of us will continue to wonder why we didn't get a solid player to upgrade where we are the weakest instead of being even deeper at the strength of our Defense.


see below

 

[Retroram52]

Brian Quick has to become a beast in the game too, not just in practice. I'll keep it real and fair. We'll see what Britt has left after some injuries as well. If those 2 big WR's can play 16 games at a high level and mix in Tavon, Bradford has no excuses left.


Now whether or not our secondary is average or below is another question. That's the question I have before I go getting a hard-on for what the WR's do in practice. None of our CB's besides Trumaine can match up with a 6'3 220lb WR.


And when/ IF our secondary sucks this year, while we have a 1st round DT on the sideline on most plays besides 3rd down, some of us will continue to wonder why we didn't get a solid player to upgrade where we are the weakest instead of being even deeper at the strength of our Defense.

see below

Yea SJ76. I agree with the bolded section of your quote. How many times in the most recent draft did many of us comment on trying to figure out why Snisher were drafting a CB that they did when somebody just as good and taller was available? Right now, out of the seven CB's we have on the roster, just two are 6 foot and above. and when the rest of the league is going megatron-type WR wise, we have a roster of smirfs at CB. Granted, Gaines, Reid, and Jenkins may play bigger in game situations, but right now, Brandon McGee is routinely getting beat by Britt and Quick and that is just in practice. Little has been reported about the others.

 

[UVA_Guy81]

Brian Quick has to become a beast in the game too, not just in practice. I'll keep it real and fair. We'll see what Britt has left after some injuries as well. If those 2 big WR's can play 16 games at a high level and mix in Tavon, Bradford has no excuses left.


Now whether or not our secondary is average or below is another question. That's the question I have before I go getting a hard-on for what the WR's do in practice. None of our CB's besides Trumaine can match up with a 6'3 220lb WR.


And when/ IF our secondary sucks this year, while we have a 1st round DT on the sideline on most plays besides 3rd down, some of us will continue to wonder why we didn't get a solid player to upgrade where we are the weakest instead of being even deeper at the strength of our Defense.


see below

If he doesn't this season, I don't ever see it happening.

 

[BOSS429Mustang]

If those two snivel wennies don't show something this year you can bet your Gluteus Maximus they'll be someplace else next time this year. Probably behind the counter at a Burger King.