Rams News Recap: August 5

[RamBill]

Preseason Means it’s Time for Backup QBs to Show Their Stuff –PD
Rams backup quarterback Shaun Hill already has 12 NFL seasons under his belt. So no, this isn’t the first time he’s had to learn a new playbook.

Rams notebook: Special-teams Standout Reynolds Hopes to Inspire Others –PD
Rams running back and special teams standout Chase Reynolds has a story to tell and recently launched a motivational brand — The Promise Line — to help deliver the message.

Rams Day 10 Camp Report –Latsch
The Rams have had some key players sitting out of practice recently with various ailments, so it wasn’t a good sign to see starting running back Zac Stacy walk off the practice field on Tuesday evening.

Rams Camp Report: Day 10 –Wagoner
A daily review of the hot topics coming out of St. Louis Rams training camp:

Jeff Fisher’s Post Practice Press Conference Transcript: Aug. 5

Coach O’s Rams Training Camp Report: August 5

Twitter Reports From Rams Training Camp Practice: Aug. 5

Rams QB Shaun Hill: “There’s a Lot of Talent at the Skill Positions” –Video

Rams’ O-line Faces Familiar Challenge –Wagoner
If the St. Louis Rams projected starting offensive line can stay healthy, it has the talent and experience to be among the league’s best.

Experience Helping Rams’ Safety Rodney McLeod –Latsch
The Rams drafted four defensive backs, including two safeties, this spring. But Rodney McLeod, the team’s starting free safety, isn’t going to worry too much about all of that.

Pass Defenders Learn on Job With Rams –AP
The St. Louis Rams’ secondary doesn’t have veteran leaders, high-dollar talent or big names.

Does Chris Givens Need a Good Preseason Performance To Hold Onto a Roster Spot? –Radio Interview

Dalton Contract Raises Bar for Rams QB Sam Bradford –Gordon
Sam Bradford appears to be in no rush to sign a contract extension with the Rams.

10 Early Observations from Rams Camp –Stalter
With just over a week in the books, here are some observations from Rams’ training camp:

Rams LB Ogletree Could Be Scary Good in His 2nd NFL Season –Balzer
The Rams expect more production from Alec Ogletree this season, and he plans to deliver.

Notes From the Rams’ First Depth Chart –Wagoner
Since it’s officially a game week — albeit a preseason game — the St. Louis Rams released their first unofficial depth chart of the season Monday afternoon.

Morning Ram-blings: Defensive Hope –Wagoner
The St. Louis Rams are betting big on their defense to take the next step in 2014, something that has been well known since coach Jeff Fisher made the move to get Gregg Williams as coordinator in the offseason.

Garrett Gilbert: “I’m looking forward to it” –Video

Rams Coach Jeff Fisher: “They’ll all get a chance to play” –Video

One-on-One with Rams Rookie OT Greg Robinson –Video

One-on-One with Rams Rookie CB E.J. Gaines –Video

Jim Thomas: Bradford Looks Strong in Return –Video

 

[RamBill]

Morning Ram-blings: Worst to first?
By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/10223/morning-ram-blings-worst-to-first-2

EARTH CITY, Mo. -- The NFL is a league of constant change and, more so than any other professional league, one that has little carry over from one season to the next.

It's completely normal to see a team go from last place one year to first place the next. The St. Louis Rams know all about that, though certainly not this particular team. But when the Rams went on to win Super Bowl XXXIV in 2000, they did it almost out of nowhere.

More recently, the Carolina Panthers made a similar leap last year though they didn't have the postseason success to truly complete the Cinderella season. But with examples such as those in mind, the folks at Football Outsiders ranked the eight teams finishing last in 2013 in order of who has the best chance to climb to first place this year.

The news isn't good for the Rams, though. Football Outsiders ranks the Rams as the fifth-most-likely team to complete the turnaround and win the division. But that isn't reflective of what they think of the Rams as a team so much as the difficulty of the division in which they play.

An excerpt from the piece:


Poor St. Louis. The Rams were the best last-place team in the league last year by both record (7-9) and DVOA (14th). If you put them in the AFC South, they would be the co-favorites with Indianapolis.

Unfortunately for them, the NFC West is the best division in football, and there is no "if the clear division leader falters, they have as good a shot as any other team" scenario.


That's a sentiment shared by many, including myself. While I believe the Rams do have the pieces in place to have a breakout season, it's hard to see where San Francisco and Seattle falter enough to open a path for the Rams to win the division. The more likely scenario for a turnaround season in St. Louis is a performance good enough to steal a wild-card spot.

Nobody in these parts would complain about such a result after a nine years of playoff absences.

I.C.Y.M.I.

A roundup of Tuesday's Rams stories appearing on ESPN.com. ... In the Ram-blings, we began the day with Grantland's look at the Rams' hopes being pinned to the defense in 2014. ... Next, we delved into what should be a Rams-centric Hall of Fame voting process this year. ... From there, we took a spin around the team's first unofficial depth chart of the season. ... The Rams offensive line is bursting with potential but again comes with a major caveat. ... We closed the day with a practice report from the team's 10th practice.

Elsewhere:

At stltoday.com, Bryan Burwell writes that the Rams have legitimate reason to believe in a breakthrough.

Jim Thomas explores the potential for a big year from end Robert Quinn.

Joe Lyons writes that safety Rodney McLeod is taking on a larger leadership role this year.

At 101sports.com, Anthony Stalter provides 10 observations from training camp.

Randy Karraker gives his thoughts on Aeneas Williams' Hall of Fame induction speech.