Practice Report 8/11: Getting Ready to Play
By Myles Simmons
View: http://www.stlouisrams.com/news-and-events/article-practicereport/Practice-Report-811-Getting-Ready-to-Play/cb0f4435-49b3-403e-89f4-02e5d2e6e90a
It was a cooler day in Earth City as the Rams finished off their slate of open training camp practices at Rams Park on Tuesday. And after the session, head coach Jeff Fisher said the players are looking forward to getting games started on Friday.
“They did a really good job the last three days,” Fisher said. “They know, obviously, tomorrow is the day off for them. We come back and we have a little walk-thru. Then we will prepare for the Raiders and go out there and play a ball game.”
With the preseason contests, two of the frequently asked questions for all four contests is who will play and how much? Fisher said the coaching staff is still going through the process of making those decisions, but the focus of the first game will be more on younger players striving to make an impression.
“When you look at the roster and you start looking at the 51st, 52nd, and 53rd player, so much of it has to do with their ability to contribute on special teams,” Fisher said. “We’re going to give guys opportunities to do some things and show us some things on special teams. But at the same time, [we’ll be] mindful of the fact that if they’re playing every snap on defense, and then going out and covering every kick, that’s hard.”
The head coach said he thinks the team has gotten better at every position thus far through camp, but specifically mentioned Nick Foles as a player who has made a major impact.
“Nick’s had a really good camp,” Fisher said. “I’m just really proud of him and happy that he’s here, so it will be fun to watch him play a little bit.”
While the quarterback likely won’t be on the field much, Fisher said that Foles will get some snaps in against the Raiders.
“I think you’d expect a couple of series, something like that, and then we’ll start making changes,” Fisher said. “We want to protect him. We don’t want to get him hit.”
With such a young group on the offensive line, players like Rob Havenstein and Jamon Brown may see a bit more time than other members of the first unit. But the head coach said other younger linemen should be on the field more than the right tackle and right guard.
“We’ve got some younger guys that will probably play into the second half,” Fisher said. “I don’t know how much Rob and ‘JB’ will play beyond the other guys. I think you can expect to see them play three or four series.”
While the Rams’ next training camp practice will be with the Cowboys in Oxnard, Calif., Fisher has liked what he’s seen at Rams Park.
“It was a good camp overall so far,” Fisher said. “We still have a lot of work to do.”
MANNION’S DEBUT
One of the younger players who may get significant playing time is quarterback Sean Mannion. The rookie out of Oregon State said on Tuesday that he’s feeling pretty positive about his August.
“I feel like I’ve done a lot of good things so far in training camp,” Mannion said. “I just try to be accurate, just try to make good decisions with the ball. And I feel really comfortable in the offense.”
The signal-caller said his on-field comfort is in part a product of going through some of the processes before.
“I think the biggest difference is just it’s not my first time out here practicing with the guys,” Mannion said. “You kind of got that over with in OTAs. Come out here, hit the ground running, and now it feels like you’re just back playing football like normal.”
While he doesn’t quite yet know how much he’ll play, Mannion said he’s looking forward to getting on the field at the pro level.
“It’ll be exciting to get into a game atmosphere and get in there and just try to operate the offense, execute the plays the way they’re designed, and just have a chance to be out there as a team going against someone else for a change,” he said.
Speaking of Mannion, Alex Marvez and Gil Brandt of SiriusXM NFL were in attendance at camp today, and came away impressed with the Rams’ rookie QB.
.@Gil_Brandt & I impressed w/ @STLouisRams rookie QB @seanmannion4 at TC. Gil loves his accuracy & way Sean spins the football @SiriusXMNFL
— Alex Marvez (@alexmarvez) August 12, 2015
COVER MAN
Defensive end Robert Quinn will be on one of the four regional covers for Sports Illustrated’s annual fantasy football issue.
When you get the cover of Sports Illustrated...
Posted by St. Louis Rams on Tuesday, August 11, 2015
The other three players featured on the covers are Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown, Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill, and Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch. Quinn’s cover will be delivered to SI subscribers in Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois and Michigan, per si.com.
But if you know anything about the Rams’ defensive line, having one of their own on the cover of a magazine will spur some razzing. And that’s exactly what RBN captured after Tuesday’s practice in the video below.
