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Rams' top priority for move is getting players settled
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-ra...top-priority-for-move-getting-players-settled
EARTH CITY, Mo. -- Over the next few months, the Los Angeles Rams will begin moving their business and football operations to their new home in California.
Along with that, they have a roster full of players who have to move individually. In the interim, some players will have to sell homes in the St. Louis area and others will look to more permanently relocate from other parts of the country to southern California.
But according to Rams coach Jeff Fisher, the most important part of the process is making sure the players get settled in and are ready to go in time for the offseason program, which is slated to start in April.
“I don’t know if I can pick one," Fisher said of the team's priorities regarding the move. "It’s get the players settled. We have to figure out where we’re going to train and all those kinds of things. And then it’s get out in the community and make the players available, whether it’s rallies or whatever we want for those that are maybe on the fence to really get to know us because it’s going to be a special team.”
Reconnecting with the Los Angeles fan base hasn't looked like much of a challenge so far. The Rams announced on Wednesday night that they'd already received 45,000 deposits for 2016 season tickets. Each of those deposits allows for the purchase of up to eight tickets, so depending on how many of those putting down deposit money follow through on the tickets, the Rams already figure to have a strong chance to sell out the majority of the seats for the Los Angeles Coliseum next season.
For now, the Rams plan to be in St. Louis through the end of March, when they're expected to shutter Rams Park and make the actual move across the country. It's expected that they'll end up in Oxnard, California, from April to July, then move to a different practice facility for the season. They'll locate the site and build a permanent practice facility after that, though it's possible that won't be in place until 2018.
With all of those moving parts, it figures to be difficult for Rams players to settle into the Los Angeles area until they know where they will be training and spending most of the offseason.
“The No. 1 goal is transitioning the guys that are most important, and that’s the players," general manager Les Snead said. "So that when they do report for offseason workouts, it’s an efficient process, they’re comfortable and ready to work. So we can focus on the product that all of the fans are going to come see."
Fisher has long been clear that he doesn't care for the NFL's rules on offseason programs under the most recent collective bargaining agreement. Teams already get less time with their players and it's possible that the Rams will have to figure out ways to make attendance for the offseason program easier by offering players lodging.
“It’s interesting because in the NFL now, when our players check out for the offseason, we can’t have any contact with those guys," Snead said. "They get a vacation, and that's via the collective bargaining agreement. So the first time we can chat with those guys is obviously when they report back. But we can communicate with them via all of the technology and get them the best plans possible. And when they get back is basically April, when we will see our players again.”
The Rams already know the when but figuring out the where must crystallize sooner than later to maximize what's going to be an important offseason.
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-ra...top-priority-for-move-getting-players-settled
EARTH CITY, Mo. -- Over the next few months, the Los Angeles Rams will begin moving their business and football operations to their new home in California.
Along with that, they have a roster full of players who have to move individually. In the interim, some players will have to sell homes in the St. Louis area and others will look to more permanently relocate from other parts of the country to southern California.
But according to Rams coach Jeff Fisher, the most important part of the process is making sure the players get settled in and are ready to go in time for the offseason program, which is slated to start in April.
“I don’t know if I can pick one," Fisher said of the team's priorities regarding the move. "It’s get the players settled. We have to figure out where we’re going to train and all those kinds of things. And then it’s get out in the community and make the players available, whether it’s rallies or whatever we want for those that are maybe on the fence to really get to know us because it’s going to be a special team.”
Reconnecting with the Los Angeles fan base hasn't looked like much of a challenge so far. The Rams announced on Wednesday night that they'd already received 45,000 deposits for 2016 season tickets. Each of those deposits allows for the purchase of up to eight tickets, so depending on how many of those putting down deposit money follow through on the tickets, the Rams already figure to have a strong chance to sell out the majority of the seats for the Los Angeles Coliseum next season.
For now, the Rams plan to be in St. Louis through the end of March, when they're expected to shutter Rams Park and make the actual move across the country. It's expected that they'll end up in Oxnard, California, from April to July, then move to a different practice facility for the season. They'll locate the site and build a permanent practice facility after that, though it's possible that won't be in place until 2018.
With all of those moving parts, it figures to be difficult for Rams players to settle into the Los Angeles area until they know where they will be training and spending most of the offseason.
“The No. 1 goal is transitioning the guys that are most important, and that’s the players," general manager Les Snead said. "So that when they do report for offseason workouts, it’s an efficient process, they’re comfortable and ready to work. So we can focus on the product that all of the fans are going to come see."
Fisher has long been clear that he doesn't care for the NFL's rules on offseason programs under the most recent collective bargaining agreement. Teams already get less time with their players and it's possible that the Rams will have to figure out ways to make attendance for the offseason program easier by offering players lodging.
“It’s interesting because in the NFL now, when our players check out for the offseason, we can’t have any contact with those guys," Snead said. "They get a vacation, and that's via the collective bargaining agreement. So the first time we can chat with those guys is obviously when they report back. But we can communicate with them via all of the technology and get them the best plans possible. And when they get back is basically April, when we will see our players again.”
The Rams already know the when but figuring out the where must crystallize sooner than later to maximize what's going to be an important offseason.
