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By Palmer Alexander III
<a class="postlink" href="http://www.stlamerican.com/sports/sports_columnists/rams_roundup/article_4c0274a2-bdb7-11e2-98a5-001a4bcf887a.html?mode=image&photo=1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.stlamerican.com/sports/sport ... ge&photo=1</a>
On two consecutive days during Mother’s Day weekend, the St. Louis Rams rookie camp was in full swing.
More than 50 players were at the camp, including this year’s most recent NFL draft class. The camp featured rookies of all shapes and sizes, with different stories of their football journey that has led them to the St. Louis Rams.
For example, there was a rookie free agent C.J. Akins, a wideout from a school called Angelo State. As I watched him in a pass catching drill, he fell to the turf in pain and was carted off the field.
I was standing alongside St. Louis Rams game day sideline reporter and former Carolina Panthers GM Tony Softli when the injury happened. Softli said, “That’s a tough break for the kid. His dad was a teammate of Jerry Rice in college.”
Softli is one of the most knowledgeable people I’ve ever talked to about football. And it showed in that situation. Because when Akins was finally helped up off the turf, Softli said, “It’s probably his Achilles.”
Then the golf cart arrived and carted Akins off the field with his right shoe and sock removed and his right foot elevated.
Then there is native St. Louisan Andre Martin in camp for a tryout. Martin, a cornerback, played high school football in the Suburban North Conference en route to playing college football at North Dakota State. He stands at 5’11”, 195 pounds. And he plays hard.
Martin was running all over the field wearing a white jersey with the number 17 on it, swatting down passes, trying to strip the ball even well after the drill, going one-on-one with Tavon Austin or Stedman Bailey in wideouts/secondary red zone drills.
Martin really stood out. That doesn't mean he’ll make the team, because the Rams are a very long way from that. However, if he continues like this, in the veteran camp, and make it to training camp, who knows since you can never, have enough cornerbacks on your team anyway.
What about Tavon Austin and the rest of new draftees? Austin is as fast as advertised. You need a super slow-motion camera to actually see his moves. Stedman Bailey looks like a polished route runner and very sure pass catcher. Linebacker Alec Ogletree looks ready to start today and could probably do it. Safety T.J. McDonald and cornerback Brandon McGee didn’t look bad at all.
Looking at both McDonald and McGee reminded me how Janoris Jenkins and Trumaine Johnson were in rookie camp last year. I’m not saying that they will produce and contribute right away, like Jenkins and Johnson, but with new defensive coordinator Tim Walton in the fold and secondary coach Chuck Cecil on hand the Rams’ young secondary could become one of the fiercest in the NFL for a long while.
Running back Zac Stacy didn’t attend camp because he graduated from college over the weekend. Guard/Center Barrett Jones mainly did a lot of stretching and some light running.
Coach Jeff Fisher was pleased with what he saw and the dedication of all the players that showed up.
The week after next, veterans will be in camp. I’m looking forward to that. After the veteran camp, you get a better idea about possible position battles that will loom when the real camp begins in late July.
<a class="postlink" href="http://www.stlamerican.com/sports/sports_columnists/rams_roundup/article_4c0274a2-bdb7-11e2-98a5-001a4bcf887a.html?mode=image&photo=1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.stlamerican.com/sports/sport ... ge&photo=1</a>
On two consecutive days during Mother’s Day weekend, the St. Louis Rams rookie camp was in full swing.
More than 50 players were at the camp, including this year’s most recent NFL draft class. The camp featured rookies of all shapes and sizes, with different stories of their football journey that has led them to the St. Louis Rams.
For example, there was a rookie free agent C.J. Akins, a wideout from a school called Angelo State. As I watched him in a pass catching drill, he fell to the turf in pain and was carted off the field.
I was standing alongside St. Louis Rams game day sideline reporter and former Carolina Panthers GM Tony Softli when the injury happened. Softli said, “That’s a tough break for the kid. His dad was a teammate of Jerry Rice in college.”
Softli is one of the most knowledgeable people I’ve ever talked to about football. And it showed in that situation. Because when Akins was finally helped up off the turf, Softli said, “It’s probably his Achilles.”
Then the golf cart arrived and carted Akins off the field with his right shoe and sock removed and his right foot elevated.
Then there is native St. Louisan Andre Martin in camp for a tryout. Martin, a cornerback, played high school football in the Suburban North Conference en route to playing college football at North Dakota State. He stands at 5’11”, 195 pounds. And he plays hard.
Martin was running all over the field wearing a white jersey with the number 17 on it, swatting down passes, trying to strip the ball even well after the drill, going one-on-one with Tavon Austin or Stedman Bailey in wideouts/secondary red zone drills.
Martin really stood out. That doesn't mean he’ll make the team, because the Rams are a very long way from that. However, if he continues like this, in the veteran camp, and make it to training camp, who knows since you can never, have enough cornerbacks on your team anyway.
What about Tavon Austin and the rest of new draftees? Austin is as fast as advertised. You need a super slow-motion camera to actually see his moves. Stedman Bailey looks like a polished route runner and very sure pass catcher. Linebacker Alec Ogletree looks ready to start today and could probably do it. Safety T.J. McDonald and cornerback Brandon McGee didn’t look bad at all.
Looking at both McDonald and McGee reminded me how Janoris Jenkins and Trumaine Johnson were in rookie camp last year. I’m not saying that they will produce and contribute right away, like Jenkins and Johnson, but with new defensive coordinator Tim Walton in the fold and secondary coach Chuck Cecil on hand the Rams’ young secondary could become one of the fiercest in the NFL for a long while.
Running back Zac Stacy didn’t attend camp because he graduated from college over the weekend. Guard/Center Barrett Jones mainly did a lot of stretching and some light running.
Coach Jeff Fisher was pleased with what he saw and the dedication of all the players that showed up.
The week after next, veterans will be in camp. I’m looking forward to that. After the veteran camp, you get a better idea about possible position battles that will loom when the real camp begins in late July.