Training Camp: Wrapping Up The Weekend

Another week of training camp is in the books as the Rams prepare for their first preseason game on Thursday against the Browns.  The Rams had their second annual fan-fest scrimmage on Saturday and it was estimated that almost 15,000 fans were in attendance. A lot is expected of this St. Louis Rams team, and their is a lot of excitement with the fans, with that said here is our weekend wrap up.

The Rams offense showed the fans what all the hype was about as Jared Cook, Tavon Austin and Sam Bradford led the show. Jared Cook is going to be very key to the team’s success. Sam has that trust with Jared similar to how he trusted Danny Amendola and even Mark Clayton. Bradford said in interviews after the scrimmage that he has all the trust in Jared that if he can just put the ball in Cook’s zip code, he will go get it. On a side note, on the offense’s two minute drill, the winning touchdown pass was from Bradford to Cook with seven seconds left on the clock. The Rams have never had a threat down the seam of the defense and Cook brings that plus his size and red zone threat to the table. During the scrimmage Bradford made a perfect throw on a seam route to Cook in practice. A laser throw and a great catch which makes it impossible to defend. Bradford to Cook is going to be a combination that we are going to hear a lot of this season.

If Tavon Austin wasn’t already fast enough, being on the turf certainly helped him on Saturday. Austin said that he felt faster on the turf during the scrimmage. Opposing defenses watch out, you may just have to go out and sign Usain Bolt. Tavon Austin didn’t just take snaps at wide receiver either. Austin even lined up in the backfield for a few plays. Austin said he feels at home at the running back position and that he hopes he gets a few snaps there every game, but he feels comfortable and at home in the slot receiver position as well. Expect big, exciting plays from this kid.

On defense it was third round pick T.J. McDonald impressing once again. McDonald intercepted another pass from Bradford, granted it did deflect off of the intended receiver. McDonald could be a rookie that impresses more than many expected this year. All three running backs also had strong moments and it looks like Fisher will stick with the committee approach. Austin Pettis continues to improve as well, he should expect a larger role this season. Brian Quick is also in that group that continues to improve. One downside from him over the weekend was that he had a few drops and caused the offense to call a time out in the two minute drill because he was unsure of where to line up.

The Rams are getting close to their preseason opener against the Browns. Hopefully the Hall of Fame Game last night got your football juices flowing. The Rams have a young team with a lot of expectations and excitement surrounding them. Fisher was asked if he thinks his team will be ready, he responded, “Ask me Thursday.”