LA Rams News: Pads FINALLY go on in training camp today!

LA Rams News: Training camp debuts the team first time in pads

The LA Rams finally are evaluating players. Seriously? Yes. As we pointed out yesterday, the LA Rams are one of the few teams to approach this year’s training camp cautiously.  The idea is to limit the number of soft-tissue injuries to players this season.

Sprains, strains, knees, ankles, and other problem areas for players are very susceptible to injuries when professional athletes do not acclimate to the NFL level of exertion correctly. The Rams were hit hard by injuries last season. Hopefully, they will be passed over by the injury bug this year.

Hopefully, the Rams will have few if any injuries this season. Meanwhile, the team is FINALLY in football pads. Now, the real work for coaches begins.  From now until the Rams final 53-man roster deadline, each player is being evaluated on each play.

The pads are officially on! Now, where are the Rams?

Real intel coming by the drip and the drop

The only trouble? Information is very limited so far. And with the only access to the team controlled virtually, its challenging to pick up tidbits of information. So far, we’ve gotten some updates as the likely starting offensive line group, we’ve sneaked some information about the Rams defensive configuration in 2020, we’ve learned that the 12-man package is here to stay on offense, and we know that defensive back Jalen Ramsey will get work all over the field.

But there is oh so much more to guess at, discover, reveal, and share.  The Rams are compressing four months of work into three weeks.  So we’ve upped our game as well, bringing you multiple articles per day to keep you up to speed. After all, isn’t that what training camp is all about?

HBO Hard Knocks: LA – Episode II

We know that the first episode of hard knocks gave the first glimpse of the LA Rams starting offensive line, the fact that two tight end formations would get plenty of practice, and that Jalen Ramsey would float in the secondary.  Of course, with the pads, the LA Rams have a new offensive line configuration that aligns more closely with the team’s depth needs.

Hard Knocks has a license with the NFL to cover whatever the producers see fit to televise. While the Rams have some say as to the “secret playbook” elements, they cannot control many of the news fans would enjoy learning.  So what three items should you look for in Episode two? We have these three foci for you to watch for tonight:

Hard Knocks: LA Insights

Insight III– Look for defense clues. The LA Rams will field a brand new defense. While NT A’Shawn Robinson will likely be out for some time, the Rams will be introducing new stunts on the defensive line of scrimmage, will have new edge rushers, a new secondary. In short, anything revealed about the defense will be a plus.

Insight II – What’s going on with special teams? The LA Rams special teams are even more of an enigma than the defense. You see, the defense is rather established with players and basic personnel packages.  For the special teams? The Rams know that they have All-Pro punter Johnny Hekker.  Everything else is way up in the air.  Who will kick field goals? Who will returns punts and kickoffs? The Rams need to determine starters quickly.

Insight I –  How is the team distributing carries in the running game? We know that the LA Rams running backs of Malcolm Brown, Cam Akers, Darrell Henderson, John Kelly, and Xavier Jones are all fighting for opportunities.  While the season opener will likely favor the veteran Malcolm Brown, the Rams running back competition is the most entertaining group of the bunch.  Keep an eye on undrafted rookie Xavier Jones. He led the NCAA in scoring last year. He can find the end zone blindfolded.

NFL season just weeks away

The Rams, like all 32 NFL teams, are rapidly approaching their season opener. So each drill, each play, each training camp moment is critical.  Time is running out, even though the team just put on pads today.  Training camp must be a very efficient use of time, and coaches must be very connected to one another and to the players.

Thankfully, the Rams have a number of veterans who serve vital roles as leaders to their teammates now. Not only to critique teammates, but also to coach and encourage younger players. The Rams’ first day of training camp with pads on is halfway complete.

But the line into “real football” has now been crossed. Time to start feeling the rush of football coming back. Here we go!