July 29, 2012; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Rams assistant head coach Dave McGinnis looks on during training camp at ContinuityX Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-US PRESSWIRE

We’ve heard plenty from head coach Jeff Fisher over the last few weeks, so let’s take a look at what a couple of the other coaches had to say on Wednesday. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer and assistant head coach Dave McGinnis met with the media to discuss their early opinions and views on what they have seen so far in Rams camp.

Schottenheimer

(On what he wants to get out of the offense in the first preseason game)
“We’re looking forward just to seeing the schemes that we’re going to run, how it fits with our players. We want to see the guys actually go hit somebody else, but we’re looking for execution. It’s going to be good to hit somebody else. We’re about almost 75 percent of the way through the installation. Obviously, we won’t use it all, show it all, but we want to see these guys play together. There will be different combinations of people and hopefully we’ll have some success.”

(On if he has a No. 1 wide receiver)
“It really doesn’t matter. I think we have a couple guys that we’re going to put in spots to make plays. Somebody asked me about that. I’ve been other places where you have a so-called No. 1 receiver and it’s easy to double that guy. We’re looking for a bunch of weapons. They’re hard to find when you put them in different spots all over the field. That way, we can take advantage of matchups. But we’re very, very pleased with where we are. A lot of the young guys are coming along. I think you see a guy like Brian Quick picking it up now. For him, third, fourth time he’s starting to get it. Chris Givens is showing up and then of course the veterans, they’re still a little bit ahead because they have a little bit more of the system than the ‘rooks’ do.”

(On the percentage of carries that RB Steven Jackson will get)
“I don’t think it has anything to do with Steven’s age at all. I think what we want to do is we want to try to get a number of people involved. Obviously, Steven is the bell cow, we know that. I think if you look at (Head Coach) Jeff’s (Fisher) history and our history with New York what we were able to do is you have a bell cow, a feature back that he’s the main guy, but you spell him some.  What that allows you to do is obviously you have backs that change the pace of the plays and run different plays. But what you see is you see that featured bell cow back get stronger. Thomas Jones in his first year I think he had 1400 yards. Leon Washington had about 500. Then we brought LT (LaDainian Tomlinson) in two years ago to help Shonn Green. Having multiple backs is really important. I know Jeff had a couple guys put up big numbers a couple of years ago. We’re excited that we have a full stable of backs.”

McGinnis

(On how the defense looks approaching the first preseason game)
“We’re really looking forward to this. I mean, this is stepping up into the next phase and stage of what we need to get. This football team is ready to play somebody else. We need to test ourselves against somebody else. I think that what we’ve done, the way that (Head Coach) Jeff (Fisher) has brought this football team along, the phase that we’re in, getting ready to play somebody else, it’s coming exactly at the right time. We feel like we’re making progress, but again your progress is measured incrementally and we need to measure it against somebody else.”

(On if he thinks the defensive line has a chance to be special)
“Here’s the thing, I think that our defensive line is working towards that. They’ve got a wonderful coach in Mike Waufle. I’ve been around this league a long time. I know good from not good – he’s good. The guys that he’s got to work with, they’ve bought whole heart and soul into what he’s about and so they’ve got an opportunity to work to be good. But again, as I said, I grew up in a catholic school being taught by the nuns and we learned not to canonize any saints very early, I promise you.”

(On competition at the outside linebacker position)
“Absolutely, and that’s going to be a very fluid situation. I think as we progress throughout this preseason you’re going to see different combinations there. Again, (MLB) James (Laurinaitis) clearly is the cornerstone that we are building around there, but we need to get the various combinations in because during the season, I mean you’ve got to be able, especially at the linebacker spot in this defense, they’ve got to be able to play all three spots. Now James is our ‘mike’ backer, but the other guys have to be able to fill in, play very well, and we need to give them a chance to learn those positions, too. So we’ll be using some different combinations as we go.”

(On if he envisions CB Janoris Jenkins being out there in Week 1 against Detroit)
“Absolutely. Janoris Jenkins continues to impress out here, but Janoris Jenkins loves football and he works at it. (Secondary coach) Chuck Cecil and (assistant secondary coach) Brandon Fisher are doing a tremendous job with him, getting him up to speed on what we’re doing, but he’s a very, very willing pupil and I’ve got no problems with Janoris Jenkins being on the field, believe me.”

1.  The Chiefs have seemingly done a great job in the draft over the last couple of years, so could you update Rams fans on some of the guys from both the 2010 and 2011 draft classes?
 
The 2010 Chiefs draft was fantastic. Standouts include Eric Berry (Pro Bowler), Tony Moeaki (TE, awesome) and Kendrick Lewis (5th round free safety). Then you have some really solid contributors in Javier Arenas (nickel corner) Dexter McCluster (deadly with the ball when healthy). They also grabbed Jon Asamoah at guard. The Chiefs like him so much they cut multi-time Pro Bowler Brian Waters so they could start him. He has looked awesome in the preseason so far. The only player that did not contribute in 2010 was LB Cameron Sheffield who landed on IR in the preseason with a neck injury. Still, Sheffield has flashed ability and looks like he will make the team. The entire 2010 draft class can play in the NFL either as a starter or a solid reserve. There appear to be no busts.
 
The 2011 draft class doesn’t appear to be as special. Jon Baldwin (1st round WR) got into a fight with Thomas Jones and broke his thumb. Ricky Stanzi hasn’t looked all that great at QB. Gabe Miller hasn’t really made much of a splash. Jalil Brown got smoked last week on coverage.
 
That being said, there is certainly some talent here. Jerrell Powe looks like he could be a big contributor down the road. Justin Houston is flashing ability to get to the QB. Last week against the Ravens he had two sacks and a forced fumble on special teams. Allen Bailey is a beast.
 
The 2011 guys could contribute this season but probably in a smaller way than the 2010 class.

Continue reading on the next page.

Storm The Cassel – Matt Cassel didn’t have a monster day or anything (15-29, 184 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT), but he made a couple of big throws when his team needed them. I didn’t feel like the Rams got to him enough, and I don’t really remember an instance of somebody on our defense really nailing him to the ground. It seemed like Sam Bradford had somebody in his face every time he dropped back, but Cassel had too much time.

Thunder And Lightning – Obviously the tandem of Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones put the hurting on the Rams defense. Charles had 126 yards and a score, and Jones finished with 62 yards and a touchdown of his own. I will say the defense did a better job against Jones than I expected (22 carries), but Charles was pretty dynamic all day. It’s tough to keep those guys under wraps all day, but you can’t give up close to 200 yards on the ground and expect to win.

Something’s Different – It’s hard for me to say whether or not the shortcomings of the offense were directly related to the Chiefs 3-4 defense, but it was difficult to watch for most of the game. After the first drive of the game, the offense was pretty much nonexistent until the fourth quarter. Between the penalties and dropped passes, it was not something I want to see again.

Home Field Advantage – There were plenty of Chiefs fans in the Dome, but I don’t think that had anything to do with the game. There were more open seats than I anticipated, which was a disappointment, but the crowd was a nonfactor. I was really hoping the Dome would be rocking, but that wasn’t the case.

I think we have gone over the trainwreck that was yesterday’s game enough at this point. So let’s just put this one behind us and look forward. This team is still in a great position to win the division, but if they dwell on this game, it won’t happen. On the injury front, Chris Long has a bruised left thigh, and Britt Miller is done for the year with a torn ACL. Ken Darby and Illini Mike are both hoping to practice this week, so things are improving on that front.