2 Rams Kams shine and other hidden crowd-pleasers from joint practice

Why do the Rams conduct joint practices?

One of the frequently asked questions following any Rams joint practice with another team eventually becomes: Why do the Rams do it? The simplest answer is perhaps the most accurate. The benefits of doing so make it very advantageous to do so. After all, without joint practices, an NFL team simply pits the same handful of guys against the same handful of guys. Not only does the familiarity of playing against the same players dilute the impact of practices, but the sheer motivation lessens as players attune to the plays and the quirks inherent with each NFL player.

Either players get bored, one player overwhelmingly dominates the other, or the two opposing players become so effective at competing against one another that the reference point of how well the overall team is prepared begins to fade.

And then there is the fact that the team is limited in the variety of coaches, plays, and looks that they use in their own playbook.

A great way to beat boredom and the doldrums is to mix it up, add variety to the player's experience, and raise the bar of competition. For the LA Rams, what better way to infuse an entirely fresh look into the NFL than to compete against newly hired Los Angeles Chargers HC Jim Harbaugh. Not only is Harbaugh the former head coach of the Michigan Wolverines, but he was also the former head coach of the San Francisco 49ers.

And the Chargers, under Coach Harbaugh, have as much to benefit by competing against the Rams as the Rams have by competing against the Chargers.

Joint practices are the NFL's version of the Autobahn in Germany. There are no speed limits. In fact, joint practices are penalty-free in terms of the performances and results of plays. Scores do not count. Coaches can dabble with as many experimental or basic vanilla plays as the mood strikes them.

Almost all NFL coaches save the best wrinkles and innovations for the regular season. But keep in mind that the team is not only trying to prepare players for the upcoming season, but trying to evaluate which 53 players will accompany the team in that journey. So comparative plays that allow for objective assessment take precedence.

Okay, in my last article, I promised not to end today's articles on a downbeat. So were there any positives to discuss from the joint practices held with the Los Angeles Chargers? Yes, yes yes. So let's dive right into the positives: