Training Camp: The Final Days

The Rams have a busy week this week, they must prepare to play the Denver Broncos which wont be an easy task. Many experts have predicted the Broncos to go to the Super Bowl. Week three is where the NFL season begins to get interesting as the starters could see the entire first half if not longer and players will begin to get cut as the roster must go from 90 to 75 next week. That means players must prove themselves in practice and that’s exactly what the Rams are doing.

Rams did in fact finish training camp yesterday, however there is still a lot of work to be done as the Rams have had their share of struggles in the last two preseason games.  This year’s training camp saw a 70% increase in attendance. If one thing is for certain, fans are excited about the upcoming year. In order to not disappoint all those fans, the Rams have been working on fixing those mistakes and getting them corrected.

Austin Pettis hasnt made any impact in the preseason and has been pretty quiet lately in camp, this week however, he has put together a strong couple of days. Maybe he noticed Quick was getting better and he needed to up his game. Whatever it was, he has made some nice catches one being a one handed grab over Cortland Finnegan in the end zone. Pettis may not rack up a bunch of yards, but he can make big catches in big situations especially in the red zone.

Stacy has made some plays as well finding holes running the ball and then making some catches out of the backfield. Terrance Ganaway also stepped away from football to continue studies. That’s one less guy competing for the second running back spot.

The Rams offense os getting healthier, which only mean one thing, it will also be scarier for opponents. Rodger Saffold started the week slowly getting back in the groove of things and was in pads on Wednesday, the team hopes to have him play on Saturday, and hopefully he will last longer than two plays. Lance Kendricks is also slowly starting to get back. He isnt in pads yet, but he’s getting there.

The defense seems to be really good in practice and then sluggish on game day. It is only preseason and hopefully they will show up to play week one. Darian Stewart and T.J. McDonald both sat out Monday giving McLeod and Davis some reps with the first team. McDonald returned Tuesday and ended the offenses two minute drill by making an interception in the end zone. Janoris Jenkins continued to be dominant and frustrate receivers as did Brandon McGee. It wasnt expected that McGee was going to challenge Johnson for the nickel spot, but he has played well and has earned it, He hasnt officially won the spot yet, but he is getting more reps their and has impressed. McGee also had an interception on quarterback Austin Davis.

The defense does have a few more injuries than the offense. Sammy Brown, Jabara Williams, and Matt Giordano did not practice and Jermelle Cudjo go back in limited fashion. Other than that though the Rams are pretty healthy right now and have somehow managed to  avoid the injury bug. The Rams have also cut backup tight end Cameron Graham. Graham will be the first of many in the next two weeks.

The Rams are getting ready to play the Broncos on Saturday and hopefully the Rams will have a little better outing than they have the past two weeks, just something to give the fans a little encouragement. Rams camp is officially over and f you want to celebrate like the Rams did go grab a baseball bat, put your forehead on the top of it, and get dizzy. Oh, and try not to hurt yourself. Until next time, Go Rams!