Rams return to Coliseum to end first week of training campBy Joe Curley of the Ventura County Star
[
www.vcstar.com]
LOS ANGELES — The old team with the new stars emerged from a Coliseum tunnel wrapped in blue and white.
The public address announcer roared "Touchdown, Los Angeles!"
It may take some getting used to, but nearly 30,000 fans gathered Saturday afternoon to see it with their own eyes.
The Rams were back on a football field in Los Angeles for the first time in decades.
"This was fun," said Rams head coach Jeff Fisher, who attended Rams games at the Coliseum with his father and played in the stadium for USC.
"I told you guys, dad brought me out here and I sat way up there when I was about 7 years old, and it was one of the greatest experiences of my life. To be able to have the opportunity to play here in college and then come back on numerous occasions during my NFL career was really cool. But this was really, really fun for me."
One week before they welcome the Dallas Cowboys in their nearly sold-out preseason debut Saturday, the Rams wrapped up the first week of training camp with a full practice in their former, and now current, home stadium. The Rams played in the Coliseum from 1946 to 1979 and will play in it for the next three seasons.
Undrafted wide receiver Nelson Spruce, a Westlake High product, opened the afternoon to chants of "Spruuuuce!" as he emerged from the tunnel and ended it by dominating the live period.
"It was a great atmosphere," Spruce said. "I think everyone is excited for football to be back in L.A."
Playing an unfamiliar position and running an unfamiliar rout, Spruce turned a Sean Mannion pass into a 40-yard catch-and-run, setting up his 6-yard touchdown catch on a corner rout to end the practice.
They were the two biggest plays of the rare live scrimmage, which was a great opportunity for the younger players to show the coaching staff their abilities at game speed.
"It's real football," Spruce said. "That's as close to you're going to get to a game situation. So I think, as an offense, we put together a great drive. I was lucky enough to be on the end of those couple receptions, so it was a good period."
After two runs by rookie running back Aaron Green and a short out by tight end Benson Browne, Spruce, split wide left, ran a deep crossing pattern to spring the big play.
"Luckily, I got put in that spot," Spruce said. "Sean put a nice throw out there."
So Spruce returned from Family Day with a story for his family.
"My family was busy today, so they couldn't make it," Spruce said. "I'll tell them all about it. It was a great day. I think as an offense all around, we had a really good day."
The biggest cheers of the day seemed reserved for two more offensive players, rookie quarterback Jared Goff and second-year running back Todd Gurley.
One day after Fisher named Case Keenum the starting quarterback for the preseason opener, Goff answered with a strong performance, especially in the two-minute drill.
"I'm starting to settle in," Goff said. "I was awesome to see the fans out here and see how excited everyone is for us to be back in L.A. Right now, they're very happy to see us and hopefully we can keep it that way."
Gurley was the center of attention on the field after the game, posing for photo after photo.
"We were just excited to be able to play at home of the first time," Gurley said. "Everybody was a little amped up.… It was a great day of work."
Other memorable moments included interceptions by cornerback Trumaine Johnson and rookie safety Jabriel Washington, as well as a 65-yard catch-and-run from Keenum to Tavon Austin.
"We got better today," Fisher said. "I don't know how we're going to be this week, but we got better today as a team. Saw good things from everybody. We stayed healthy in what we would consider to be a physical practice.
"Next week is going to fly by and, before we know it, seven days from today, we'll have the Cowboys here in town."
