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Training Camp Report: Rams and Chargers Joint Practice
On Wednesday afternoon the Rams held their 10th training camp session at UC Irvine, the second of two practices with the Chargers. The session, which lasted a little over two hours, gave both teams the opportunity to work against an opponent for the second time this summer.
The practice was lively and competitive as thousands of fans packed the sidelines to cheer for their respective team. And in honor of the team’s “Throwback Day,” over 30 Rams’ legends were on hand to watch the Rams final joint practice ahead of Saturday’s preseason opener against the Cowboys. Here’s what you missed from Day 10 of Rams Camp:
TOP TAKEAWAYS
1. Goff gearing up for preseason opener
In Wednesday’s practice quarterback Jared Goff
showcased his growing composure in the pocket and his improved timing throughout a series of drill. While on Saturday Goff excelled in the two-minute drill, today the quarterback looked even sharper in this afternoon’s midfield, 7-on-7 and red zone drills. “I think both times were good,” Goff said of the joint practices. “I think we got off a lot more plays today. For whatever reason, it felt like we got more series with the offense. I thought it was good. Today the two-minute drill was probably the one thing we want back and everything else was pretty good.”
During the team’s 7-on-7 work Goff dropped a perfect downfield pass to tight end Tyler Higbee
for a would-be touchdown. And though the deep routes have been inconsistent for the quarterback in the past, today he took more than a few chances down field.“Yeah, about time,” he said with a laugh. “Deep balls come. I think early on in camp you’re just figuring out timing sometimes and just some different things with guys, but I think they are starting to come. We were starting to hit a few today. It was a good job by the receivers of getting open downfield.”
But it’s not only his timing on the deep routes that is improving. In the same drill, Goff delivered a bullet to wide receiver Robert Woods
for about a 20 yard gain. And in 11-on-11 drills, Goff recorded a number of completions to various wideouts including Pharoh Cooper and Cooper Kupp, along with running back Todd Gurley.2. Things get heated
After a relatively calm afternoon with the Chargers on Saturday, the intensity level was much higher when both teams hit the field for Wednesday’s practice. During the team’s one-on-one drills, tempers flared defensive back Trumaine Johnson
and Chargers’ wide receiver Dontrelle Inman after Johnson was “flagged” for a pass interference. A few minutes later, a second tussle broke out on the same sideline, this time between the Chargers’ offense and the Rams’ defense, before a final conflict during the special teams portion of practice.
“I think anytime you practice against somebody else guys are competitive, especially after the first day where there’s some good back and forth,” McVay said. “Starting out with the one on ones, guys are competitors, that’s what makes them great.”
And while the third scuffle marked the end of the matchups off the field, the players continued to bring the heat on field, with a number of hard hits and evident trash talking on both ends. However, McVay said that the intensity level was about what he expected, especially with fans from both teams adding to the excitement.
“Guys are great competitors, like I said we always want to be mindful, but those are things that we’ll be able to look at and figure out exactly what happened,” Mcvay said. “Fortunately nobody got hurt as a result of it and we’ll try to be mindful of those things moving forward.”
3. Looking ahead to gameday
The Rams are set to kick off their preseason schedule this Saturday with a matchup against the Cowboys at the Coliseum. This will be the second straight year that the Rams will take on the Cowboys in the exhibition opener, with the Rams coming out on top 28-24 last season.
With two practices left until game time, McVay spoke to the media about what he expects from his team come Saturday.
“It’s a great test. I think Cowboys Head Coach Jason Garrett does an excellent job with the team and it’s clear why they were NFL East champs last year,” he said. “So I think it offers an excellent opportunity for our team to go against a quality opponent and see how our first-string guys handle those first couple plays that we’ll give them, but it’s going to be a great challenge for us.”
Last year’s preseason opener marked Goff’s first professional appearance. And though last season didn’t pan out exactly as he would have liked, the Rams have shown a lot of improvement throughout their time in camp. While there is still plenty of practice left on the calendar to work through any on field issues, Goff said he is just excited to get back on field at the Coliseum and play some real football again.
“It feels like it’s been coming for a long time now,” Goff said. “[You] kind of get a chance to get back out there in the Coliseum and see all the fans again, have some fun and hopefully score some points.”
“This is much different,” he said of this season’s preseason opener. “That was my first NFL experience. There was 90,000 people at a preseason game, so I was a little wide-eyed at first, but I feel good now. I feel more excited and I’m ready to get out there and just run some plays – just get out there and see a real defense, maybe get hit a couple times, just go through some things that you go through in a real game.”
FIELD-LEVEL OBSERVATIONS
- Jamon Brown took reps at right guard while Rob Havenstein was back at right tackle in today’s practice.McVay says his staff has yet to decide which position these two will start at come Saturday.
- Kupp had an impressive one-handed grab from Goff against cornerback Brad Watson during one-on-ones.
- Quarterback Sean Mannion had a nice completion during 11-on-11 to wide receiver Paul McRoberts for a 15 yard gain.
- Cornerback Troy Hill had the team’s first interception of the day, picking off quarterback Cardale Jones before running it back for the touchdown.
- During the last session of practice, Johnson recorded an interception on a hail mary throw from quarterback Philip Rivers. The Rams D-Line blitzed Rivers before he sent the ball deep downfield, right into the hands of Johnson.
- The Rams stayed on field for a number of drills after the Chargers headed back to their buses, working on a few different routes in an 11-on-11 portion before calling it a day.
Today’s play of the day was brought to you by wide receiver Shakeir Ryan
who took one to the house during the special teams drills. The wideout was untouched on his way to the end zone showcasing his quick speed and agility on the play. The undrafted free agent out of Northwestern State has been making quite the name for himself over the last two weeks, becoming known as a wide receiver with good hands and one who is quick in space.
PRESS POINTS
After practice Goff spoke to the media about his relationship with Higbee. Catch up on his best point from Day 10:
JARED GOFF:
On how his chemistry with TE Tyler Higbee has evolved: “Two training camps living with him, I’ve spent a lot of time together with him off the field as well and it’s been good. I think he’s a great player. I think he’s coming along just fine and I’m excited to see what he can do this year as a starter this year. I expect him to do some big things.”
