Los Angeles Rams Primetime Debut Reason for Excitement

This off season for the Los Angeles Rams has been so full topics like relocation, draft picks and free agency that is can sometimes be easy to forget about the most important part of every NFL season.  The games.  That’s right, the Rams aren’t simply moving to Los Angeles to enjoy the summer weather, they are moving to Los Angeles to work.

Now that the official preseason schedule for the Los Angeles Rams has been released, fans looking forward to getting that first look at the Rams in action have a date they can circle on their calendar.

While it is clear that members of the Rams organization are excited, there are plenty of reasons that the fans should see this as more than just a regular preseason game and be every bit as excited.

First and foremost, this is the official return to Los Angeles for the Rams.  Not only is this a return to Los Angeles, it is a return to the very field the Rams called home for over 30 years.  The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum may not be the shiny new home the Rams plan to open in 2019, but it is one of the most historic venues in all of sports and will provide an exciting backdrop for NFL football.

Not only will this game put the Rams in a still-unfamiliar venue, it will put the Rams in the unfamiliar position of having a game featured on primetime.  The game, scheduled for Saturday, August 13th, will air on ESPN in the primetime slot of 7pm.  The new venue and home, primetime slot, and the first opportunity to get fans to get a look both the returning players and rookies (which may potentially include a franchise QB of the future, if you believe the majority of the mock drafts) should make for an exciting night.

But what about the team on the other side?  The Rams will be paired up against non other than the Dallas Cowboys, also known as “America’s Team”.  The Cowboys are a bit draw wherever they go.  But their fan base is especially large in Southern California thanks to their years of spending training camp in Oxnard, California (at the very location the Rams will be set to start team activities later this month).  The combination of the large Cowboys’ fan base and the excited Rams fans looking to be part of the historic return should make for a much more animated crowd compared to the standard preseason action.

If all of this wasn’t enough, recent history between the two teams might just be enough to add just a little extra spice to the matchup.  The Rams were invited to Oxnard to participate in joint team practices last year.  Unfortunately, these practices are best remembered for what happened after the whistle blew.  While this is a new year and a repeat of that practice shouldn’t be expected, there is still reason to believe that a few of those players with long memories might be motivated to get a few extra hits in when the opportunity arises.

The word ‘exciting’ is very rarely used by NFL fans when describing a preseason game.  But with the Rams making their debut at in primetime under the big lights of Hollywood against one the biggest franchises in the NFL, there is plenty of reason for Rams fans to be excited.  Football can’t get here soon enough.