Training Camp Day 1 Review: 3 1/2 Months Later????

I was able to attend the first day of training camp this year and wrote a review. Well- here we are 3 1/2 months later and now is time to look back on my review back in August. Here is my review and retrospective critique.

This is the one training camp day I am able to attend this year. It was a Beautiful day in Irvine. Perfect weather for players and fans. I have attended each training camp since our beloved Rams returned to their rightful home. Oh my how things have changed! The first year back, there were not that many fans that attended TC during the week. There were a bunch of old timer Rams fans those first couple of years. Today, the place was packed around the fields as well as in the Rams Experience area. There were numerous families and young people all sporting Rams gear. Kupp and Donald were easily the most common jerseys being worn. So, what did I notice at todays practice. First overall impression after the practice ended, was that our Rams are a complete team with lots of talent at almost every position except a few positions.

Defense-

DL- Any time you have Donald on the line, you have a dominant line. Donald, Gaines and Robinson looked great. Donald would have broken Wolford on one of his long completions, if he was able to hit the qb. He came clean and veered off. Gaines got an INT off a tipped pass in the red zone. Backups held their own, but no-one stood out to me. - I guess I was expecting the DL to play at the same level as last year. Gaines, Robinson, the bench and even Donald has not had the same effect on the game. I know there are many reasons like injuries and the ever going back n forth on Morris and scheme. In the end, big disappointment.

LB- Wagner is already taking control of getting everyone in the right position. He and Jones were communicating well. Wagner made a few stops in the run game. Floyd, Hollins, Garrett, and Lewis all looked good and got pressure. If outside guys can get pressure, this is a strong position.-Wagner turned out to be closer to good - average instead of great. Too many times he gets caught in the wash or blown back by a younger / stronger Olineman. Outside rush is non existent. Maybe they looked good during camp due to they were going up against our OL?

DBs- Wow! This looks like a very deep position. I was happy to see Scott with the first team. He was huge in the playoffs. Dacobie Durant made two impressive INTs. One looked like a sure completion to Kupp and Durant dove in front of him for the INT. Kendrick was solid also. There is a lot of talent on this team with Safeties and Corners.-This group was hit by injuries. Durant was making a big splash before he got hurt. I still think there is some young talent that isn't as bad as some argue. Better tackling and coaching could cure some of the problems.


Offense-

Qbs- Given that he is still working on timing with his receivers, Stafford looked good. His arm looked strong. He made a few 20-30 yard throws. He attempted one long deep throw to Robinson that was overthrown. Kupp got most of his attempts. Wolford took second team reps. He played well the second half of practice. I must say, Wolford is my biggest concern for this team. His size and arm strength are lacking. McVay must love his leadership since he does not bring in any young arms. If Stafford has to miss a few games for any reason, Wolford does not look like he can carry us for a few games.-I don't think Stafford has been right all year. He started camp hurt and has not had a good year. He went to ARob and Jefferson during camp, but game time does not seem to look for either of them. He has been locked on one receiver at times and missed some open opportunities. Yes, the line is bad, but he played in Detroit with some bad lines and put up decent numbers. As for backup, I think I was spot on. We need a real backup that can cover a game or two. I do not believe Wolf or the Perk has the arm strength to be a decent backup.

Rbs- Cam and Henderson look strong as usual. I hope we find more depth in case one of those two get hurt. A few good runs of 4-5 yards. I hope our rookie pick recovers soon.-Funny! our run D has played decent this year. The rbs were able to get 4-5 yards during camp. If we get one of those runs in a game now, it is a huge down for us. Maybe it comes back to our OL and DL needing upgrades and depth.There have been many discussions on the board about both lines, I just missed this one due to rose color glasses after a Super Bowl. I do hope we get a young Bruiser for next year. No more light and slow players.

Wrs- Very strong position. Kupp, Robinson, and Jefferson looked great. All three had a few catches. Surprise- Atwell had a couple of catches with good separation. Atwell and Powell look like they are the exact same size. Both look like they would break if a Lb had a clean hit.-Injuries and lack of trust by Stafford has affected all expectations for this group. Atwell is a bust and Powell is a gadget player and good return man.

Te-
Very strong position! Higbee, Blanton, Bryce, and Harris looked great today. All of them made catches today in scrimmage against D.-Injuries again and we do need to upgrade depth and talent.

OL- Shelton started at rg today. He and Allen both look small at 300 lbs. Bruss played with 2nd team. Did well against 2nd team DL. Did not do as well against 1st team DL. I do believe they will gel by the time the season starts. I hope Bruss gets up to speed fast. 2 guys at just 300 lbs will not hold against the giant nose tackles.- I was correct about this OL. Allen and Shelton to small to hold up to interior DL. Bruss injury was the beginning to long list of injuries. They never had time to gel


Good to see Kupp working after practice on catching ball with two hands. Ramsey was putting in the work to get back. Gay hit a few Fgs from 35 to 45. Did not see him miss one. I did not see a huge difference between the new punters.


World Champs look like we have a very deep team. Hopefully we are just as motivated to win another championship. Every TC, I walk away with a number of concerns. Did not get that this year. Let's stay healthy and get another one! I look forward to reading others views today and future camp days.[/quote]-I'm not going to question the heart. Again, plenty have already done that on this board. Hopefully we get back to that focus and desperation to win a championship next camp.