July 27, 2012; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Rams wide receiver Brian Quick (83) carries the ball as safety Rodney McLeod (38) defends during training camp at ContinuityX Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-US PRESSWIRE

Rams head coach Jeff Fisher met with the media after Friday’s rookie workout, and he discussed a number of different issues including the wide receivers and and how the young guts are coming along. Here’s what he had to say.

(On the rookies’ performance over the past three days)
“Really pleased with it. As you can see we got to put some shoulder pads on and that was by design. We wanted to introduce the pads to them before next week when everybody puts them on. So, we were pleased. The third day, you’re always concerned about the third day because that’s the pull history, and we got through it without any problems. So now they can rest and recover and they won’t be doing anything tomorrow, maybe some light lifting. They’ll join the team tomorrow, but there won’t be any activity on the field.”

(On the veterans reporting tomorrow)
“We have a voluntary report tonight. We have a mandatory team meeting at 9 (a.m.) and then we’ll wrap up with our conditioning tests. Then we’re not permitted to come on the field and have walk-thrus tomorrow so most of tomorrow will be inside.”

(On there being a lot of attention on the wide receivers and what he sees in them)
“Well they’re tired because there’s just three of them out here, but they’re coming on. Chris (Givens) and Brian (Quick), both of them have a real good feel for what we’re doing. I expect to see a lot more out of them once the numbers increase and they’re fresh and things, but both of them are making plays and that’s important.”

(On his excitement to have the full squad on Sunday and with the season not far off)
“I’m very excited. Everybody’s excited. Vets are inside watching practice through the window and coming in early and lifting and doing that kind of stuff. So everybody’s excited to get going and I think it’s smart the way we handle things now with acclamation. We can’t put pads on until the fourth day. It’s a mandatory three days to acclimate and that’s throughout camp, so they’re ready to go. They’re ready to go out and play. The next step is pads and then the step after that is go play somebody else.”

Nov 5, 2011; Fayetteville, AR, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks offensive tackle Rokevious Watkins (73) during the game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Arkansas defeated South Carolina 44-28. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-US PRESSWIRE

Now that the rookie training camp is officially under way and open to the media, we can get a better idea of what’s going on at Rams Park with the new guys. The news is not all good, unfortunately. Newly signed CB Trumaine Johnson made his Rams debut after missing Wednesday’s workout after sleeping through his alarm and missing his flight on Wednesday, while G Rokevious Watkins has been limited to pre-practice and post-practice stretching and conditioning drills after showing up to camp out out of shape.

Both of these issues are not what you want to see from rookies, but in the big scope of things I don’t think either will be that big of a deal. I feel for Johnson, because I too have been known to sleep through my alarm. It sucks, and I’m sure he feels terrible about it, but it happens. I’m told head coach Jeff Fisher wasn’t happy about it, but it happened so let’s move on.

As far as Roke goes, I really believe he has the ability to start at LG from Day 1 on this team, so coming in not in shape and missing precious workout time is disappointing. I wouldn’t be so quick to jump on his case, though. He is a huge man who has struggled with his weight in the past, and sometimes it can be tougher for those guys to head into camp ready to go. I’m not giving him a free pass, but I think as long as he works hard to drop some weight and get in shape it won’t hurt his chances to earn a spot.

One other interesting note from Thursday was that TE Michael Hoomanawanui was one of the only veterans in attendance working out with the rookies. Illini Mike is coming back from knee surgery, so he wanted to get a little time on the field before full camp starts this weekend. He reportedly looked slim and moved around pretty well.

May 23, 2012; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Rams cornerback Janoris Jenkins (21) catches a ball during an OTA at ContinuityX Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-US PRESSWIRE

And then there were none. The St. Louis Rams have reportedly agreed to terms with cornerbacks Janoris Jenkins and Trumaine Johnson, the final two of the team’s draft picks who were still unsigned.

Jenkins will get just over $5 million dollars over four years. Of that total, $3.1 million is guaranteed. Those numbers are the highest of any second-round pick in this year’s draft. The terms of the Johnson deal have yet to be released.

I’m glad these deals are taken care of, but I have to say that I’m a little surprised at how big the numbers are with Jenkins. We have talked quite a bit about the rocky negotiations, but it looks to me that Jenkins probably got what he wanted. Now, we just have to hope he settles himself down and lives up to his talent on the field.