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http://www.dailynews.com/sports/20160402/la-rams-land-in-socal-on-monday-but-busy-summer-awaits
OXNARD >> The two goal posts separated by 120 yards of green grass beckon 50 or so yards off Vineyard Avenue in this sleepy beachside community in Ventura County. Behind them sit two covered tents protecting a weight room and locker rooms and a make shift office.
But it’s the buildings nestled behind the weight room and office that makes the site such a fitting landing spot for the Rams re-entry back in Los Angeles:
A sprawling Residence Inn by Marriott Hotel.
After all, nothing captures temporary or on the move more than a hotel.
And the Rams are most certainly on the move these days upon being approved for relocation from St. Louis to Los Angeles and as they begin their new life in the region they once called home from 1946 to 1994.
Everything about them right now, from the tented weight room to the construction-site trailers serving as office space, indicates a franchise in transit. And it’s going to be that way pretty much until the moment they step foot in their new stadium in Inglewood in 2019.
But especially this year, as they move from point to point across Southern California preparing for and playing their first season in the region since 1994.
And doing their best not to let it be the crutch they use to excuse a poor season,
“In this process, from the very beginning, you knew there’s going to be disruption so you know what? We’ve got to adjust to that and not let that be the dominating variable of the day,” said Rams general manager Les Snead. “Let’s let it be the opportunity and the responsibility and the vision.”
Or, as head coach Jeff Fisher explained:
“Our approach is that the rest of the league doesn’t care what we’re doing. There are 31 other teams that are getting ready for the offseason program and training camp and the regular season, so we have to do the same thing.
“The sooner we get set up and ready to go, the better off we’re going to be. I’m not looking at this as a distraction or an excuse. We have to develop younger players. We still have a few players that we have some interest in, in the second tier of free agency. Obviously, we have a lot of work to do right now with the staff and the scouting department to get on the same page in respect to the draft and we’ll go from there. Wherever we open, we know where we’re playing home games, but whether we open at home or open on the road – they count. Players know that.”
But it will be a challenge.
The Rams will officially land back in Southern California on Monday, and their first steps will be taken here in Oxnard at their temporary team headquarters.
With an emphasis on temporary.
After traveling the 1,800 miles from St. Louis to California, the Rams will be on the move the next few months.
Oxnard will be the football operations base from April through the end of June, during which the Rams will conduct draft preparations – including organizational meetings and visiting with various draft prospects – welcome the team for its nine-week offseason program that includes a weight and conditioning session and organized team activities (OTAs).
The players will reside at the Residence Inn hotel during their time in Oxnard.
Ideally the Rams would stay here through training camp, but the Dallas Cowboys have made a consistent pilgrimage each year from the heat and humidity of Texas to the ocean breeze of Oxnard for their training camp.
So, with the Cowboys already having dibs on the site, the Rams have to pack up and move 100 miles south to UC Irvine (most likely) for their month-long training camp.
After that, it’s back to Ventura County, where the Rams will spend the regular season operating and practice out of their temporary headquarters at Cal Lutheran University. Meanwhile, part of the Rams administrative staff will work out of offices in nearby Agoura Hills.
It’s not ideal, but it will have to do.
“I’ve tried to keep it as, look at it as a big opportunity, let’s go make the most of it,” Snead said. “You’re well aware there’s going to be bumps in the road, spilled milk. It’s not going to be easy or the same.”
Although they’ve tried to preserve some similarities.
The weight room is essentially the same size and lay out as the one at their long-time facility in suburban St. Louis.
“We tried to keep it as similar as possible,” said Rams strength and conditioning coach Rock Gullickson as he busily put the final touches on the workout area.
Beginning next week, players will start arriving for unofficial workouts, although the first wave will mostly be players rehabilitating injuries.
On April 18, most, if not all the Rams will be in Oxnard to begin a two-week strength and conditioning program overseen by Gullickson and his training staff.
After which, the Rams have scheduled OTA’s for May 31, June 1, June 3, June 7-8, and June 10.
They also have a mandatory minicamp slated for June 14-16 although that is subject to change depending on player participation during the OTAs.
More immediately, the football operations staff – including Fisher, Snead and their staffs – will prepare for the NFL Draft, which begins April 28 in Chicago.
“We’re set up and ready to go,” Fisher said.
And then they’ll be on the go.
