5 takeaways from LA Rams Training Camp Virtual Tailgate

5 takeaways from the LA Rams Virtual Tailgate party

If you didn’t get to catch the LA Rams Virtual Tailgate party via online streaming, you missed a great opportunity to catch a glimpse of the latest training camp camaraderie.  Of course, the entire 2020 training camp experience is new and unique to everyone. From the front office staff to coaches, and especially players, navigating the pandemic protective and preventive protocols is a new set of challenges.

If you are a fan and feeling a bit neglected, you are not alone.  The process so far has been rather exclusive to meet the needs of players’ safety and NFL teams’ needs to prepare for the upcoming season.  Since direct interaction brings the risks of transmitting COVID-19, that was the first thing to be eliminated from all 32 teams.  What that helps to ensure player safety, it has crippled the ability of fans to remain connected to their favorite teams’ progress.

The LA Rams chose to do something about it. So they pulled Sarina Morales and Tory Holt to host a 2020 LA Rams Training camp Virtual Tailgate party. Not knowing what to expect, I tuned in to catch any bits of information that might be useful in projecting how the LA Rams might perform this season.  The result was these five takeaways:

Five Virtual Tailgate takeaways

Takeaway 5 – First and foremost, Rams are together again. The guys have successfully weathered the storm.  If you needed confirmation that the Rams football 2020 season is a go, the broadcast provided it. Even more, it appears that SoFi Stadium is virtually “done” now (pun intended).

Takeaway 4 – The offensive skill players talked about their commitment to get three receivers to put up 1000 yards. Who might that be? The money is on Robert Woods, Cooper Kupp, and Tyler Higbee this year. Woods has hit that plateau for the past two consecutive years, Kupp entered the club in 2019, and Higbee’s December 2019 was good enough to get him there this year.

Takeaway 3 – Three Rams three starting offensive linemen look to be Andrew Whitworth, Austin Blythe, and Rob Havenstein. The Rams did not have either Austin Corbett or David Edwards at the event, suggesting that their roles are still up for competition. Surprisingly, neither Blythe nor Havenstein was anything to write home about last year, but both appear to be presumed starters for 2020.

Takeaway 2– Rams defensive players love new defensive coordinator Brandon Staley. While the presumption is that he would be focused upon the defensive secondary, Michael Brockers spoke up and shared that Staley is open to suggestions from players at all positions of the defense.  Even more than that, the Rams defense will finally have the chance to “play together”.  All players emphasized the fact that putting players together and into walk-throughs is a far cry better than virtual team meetings.

Takeaway 1– John Bonamego “commands the room”. Both P Johnny Hekker and LS Jake McQuaide emphasized that new ST coordinator John Bonamego pays close attention to detail, which was not surprising. Neither gave much information about Bonamego’s process so far, except to state that he has a long history at special teams, and it shows.

While there is plenty to learn about the LA Rams in the days and weeks ahead, the team is most certainly on track to be highly competitive this year. It was great to finally see and hear from players, and that all serve to whet the appetite for more Rams.  Thankfully, the Rams will be on  HBO Hard Knocks: LA in just a few hours. Stay tuned!