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Rams rave about their stay in Oxnard
By Joe Curley of the Ventura County Star
[www.vcstar.com]
Eric Kush tracked the flight of the ball high above River Ridge fields.
The 313-pound center stepped to his left and cushioned the punt into his hands before raising his arms aloft in glory.
Then, with a massive celebratory spike of the football, the Los Angeles Rams bid Oxnard adieu Thursday.
The 79-year-old NFL franchise had arrived in April as the former St. Louis Rams. They leave the Residence Inn Oxnard River Ridge this month as the Los Angeles Rams reborn.
"I don't know if you can really design it any better," Rams general manager Les Snead said.
Rams chief operating officer Kevin Demoff said using River Ridge as a way station between St. Louis and Thousand Oaks allowed the team to have a "normal offseason."
"This provided a normal football environment and helped bring our team together in a unique way," Demoff said.
If the Rams, against all odds, are able to end their 12-year playoff drought this fall, River Ridge will have played a significant role.
"I think it was a fantastic set-up," Demoff said. "This was a site and a group that knows how to host NFL teams. They've proved that this offseason. Not that anybody will go through this process anytime soon, but everybody will tell you what a success this site was.
"From an organization perspective, that's the most important take away that I have, we got good work done."
Rams head coach Jeff Fisher called the three-month offseason camp in Oxnard "much better than what we expected."
"Everybody here that's associated with this football team — we're talking about the food preparation, the housekeeping and the security — everything was outstanding," Fisher said. "You can't appreciate that any more, I thought they did a great job. As far as the football is concerned — the weather is perfect, (player) attendance was great and it was a great experience for us."
The Rams held a private autograph session with the Residence Inn staff on Tuesday.
"Obviously, when you come here and you spend as much time as we have, they become a little bit like family," Snead said. "They treat you like family. First class, it's been a smooth transition. We've been able to check off our task. It's just been in a different location. That alone, with weather like today, you can't beat it."
MOVING DAYS
Although some veterans left for the airport as soon as practice ended Thursday, rookies and some staff will remain in Oxnard through the end of the month.
The next stop for what Demoff labeled "the odyssey of 2016," is Irvine. Training camp begins in late July.
Bruce Warwick, the team's director of operations, and his staff will spend at least the next week packing up. The locker room, weight room, information technology and all sorts of other equipment are headed back into the tractor trailers which trucked it all from Missouri earlier this year.
Meanwhile, the Dallas Cowboys will be in town preparing for another training camp at River Ridge next month.
"Nobody has told me that we're off schedule," Snead said. "That's a good thing. There's a lot of good people that are really, really working hard."
Work on the Rams' in-season training home at Cal Lutheran University is also progressing. The modular units that will be assembled into the Rams' football operations home begin arriving Friday. The sod on which the team will prepare for 16 NFL regular-season games over the next two to five seasons will be delivered Monday.
"There's never a dull moment in this process," Demoff said.
TRUE TO FORM
Fisher proclaimed the roster healthy, saying "I don't think there's going to be anybody who's not going to able to participate in camp, which is good."
That includes cornerback Trumaine Johnson, who hadn't been seen on the field since colliding with receiver Brian Quick during 11-on-11 drills last Friday.
Johnson was present Thursday, although he didn't do much besides some stretching.
"If we were going to practice tomorrow, he'd practice tomorrow," Fisher said. "He had a laceration. His jaw got rocked a little bit, but he'll be fine."
FUN SIZE
The Rams ended their final practice of OTAs with a slice of tradition. The offensive and defensive lines battled in a punt-catching competition.
"Most of the time, you've got to focus, you've got to work," Fisher said. "But it's always good to have light moments like that."
Although Kush was successful, catches by Aaron Donald, William Hayes and Ethan Westbrooks and Alec Ogletree led the defense to victory. Again.
"It's been a while since the offense has won," Fisher said. "They struggle with the punts."
By Joe Curley of the Ventura County Star
[www.vcstar.com]
Eric Kush tracked the flight of the ball high above River Ridge fields.
The 313-pound center stepped to his left and cushioned the punt into his hands before raising his arms aloft in glory.
Then, with a massive celebratory spike of the football, the Los Angeles Rams bid Oxnard adieu Thursday.
The 79-year-old NFL franchise had arrived in April as the former St. Louis Rams. They leave the Residence Inn Oxnard River Ridge this month as the Los Angeles Rams reborn.
"I don't know if you can really design it any better," Rams general manager Les Snead said.
Rams chief operating officer Kevin Demoff said using River Ridge as a way station between St. Louis and Thousand Oaks allowed the team to have a "normal offseason."
"This provided a normal football environment and helped bring our team together in a unique way," Demoff said.
If the Rams, against all odds, are able to end their 12-year playoff drought this fall, River Ridge will have played a significant role.
"I think it was a fantastic set-up," Demoff said. "This was a site and a group that knows how to host NFL teams. They've proved that this offseason. Not that anybody will go through this process anytime soon, but everybody will tell you what a success this site was.
"From an organization perspective, that's the most important take away that I have, we got good work done."
Rams head coach Jeff Fisher called the three-month offseason camp in Oxnard "much better than what we expected."
"Everybody here that's associated with this football team — we're talking about the food preparation, the housekeeping and the security — everything was outstanding," Fisher said. "You can't appreciate that any more, I thought they did a great job. As far as the football is concerned — the weather is perfect, (player) attendance was great and it was a great experience for us."
The Rams held a private autograph session with the Residence Inn staff on Tuesday.
"Obviously, when you come here and you spend as much time as we have, they become a little bit like family," Snead said. "They treat you like family. First class, it's been a smooth transition. We've been able to check off our task. It's just been in a different location. That alone, with weather like today, you can't beat it."
MOVING DAYS
Although some veterans left for the airport as soon as practice ended Thursday, rookies and some staff will remain in Oxnard through the end of the month.
The next stop for what Demoff labeled "the odyssey of 2016," is Irvine. Training camp begins in late July.
Bruce Warwick, the team's director of operations, and his staff will spend at least the next week packing up. The locker room, weight room, information technology and all sorts of other equipment are headed back into the tractor trailers which trucked it all from Missouri earlier this year.
Meanwhile, the Dallas Cowboys will be in town preparing for another training camp at River Ridge next month.
"Nobody has told me that we're off schedule," Snead said. "That's a good thing. There's a lot of good people that are really, really working hard."
Work on the Rams' in-season training home at Cal Lutheran University is also progressing. The modular units that will be assembled into the Rams' football operations home begin arriving Friday. The sod on which the team will prepare for 16 NFL regular-season games over the next two to five seasons will be delivered Monday.
"There's never a dull moment in this process," Demoff said.
TRUE TO FORM
Fisher proclaimed the roster healthy, saying "I don't think there's going to be anybody who's not going to able to participate in camp, which is good."
That includes cornerback Trumaine Johnson, who hadn't been seen on the field since colliding with receiver Brian Quick during 11-on-11 drills last Friday.
Johnson was present Thursday, although he didn't do much besides some stretching.
"If we were going to practice tomorrow, he'd practice tomorrow," Fisher said. "He had a laceration. His jaw got rocked a little bit, but he'll be fine."
FUN SIZE
The Rams ended their final practice of OTAs with a slice of tradition. The offensive and defensive lines battled in a punt-catching competition.
"Most of the time, you've got to focus, you've got to work," Fisher said. "But it's always good to have light moments like that."
Although Kush was successful, catches by Aaron Donald, William Hayes and Ethan Westbrooks and Alec Ogletree led the defense to victory. Again.
"It's been a while since the offense has won," Fisher said. "They struggle with the punts."
