Training camp headlines 8/3

Nothing going on at Rams training camp today, though it will still count as Steven Jackson's 10th day of unexcused absence if he doesn't show up. My guess is he shows up tomorrow or Tuesday, but meanwhile, he has now rung up $150,000 in potential fines for violating his contract. So that Porsche chronograph may have to wait another day.

Yesterday's scrimmage appears to have run smoothly. The best account of it I saw was espn.com's. Thumbs up and down from the scrimmage:

* Up: Marc Bulger's throwing better and getting a better feel for the new offense by the day. Bulger's success is obviously crucial to the Rams having any kind of chance this season. It's very good to see that the Ram offense is finally clicking in training camp after a rough start.

* Down, as in way, way down: Dante Hall muffed a punt return for a turnover. Hall has never gotten out of my shithouse for losing the Whiner game in St. Louis with a crucial turnover, and he ought to be deep in Scott Linehan's, too. When you're not Devin Hester, Josh Cribbs, Az Hakim or the old Dante Hall, the chance of you making a big play isn't worth the risk if you're going to fail to field EVERY punt cleanly. Dante Hall made a couple of exciting plays last year, but he also cost the Rams a game. At this stage of his career, he damn sure should field punts without being a turnover risk. And though he appeared to be a good investment last year, he still didn't make enough big plays, and wasn't durable enough, to justify the risk. The coaching staff had better put Hall on notice. If he's not going to hold on to the ball, he has no use on this team.

* Up: UFA RB Lance Ball, who's getting a lot more carries thanks to the absence of a certain Pro Bowl running back. He had one of the TDs of the scrimmage and has impressed at practice. Good to see another candidate for best underdog story of camp.

* Down: It doesn't sound like there was a whole lot of offense at the scrimmage, just two TDs, the other by Keenan Burton. Then again, starters played just 18 snaps at most.

* Down: "a number" of pre-snap penalties. INTOLERABLE.

* Up: UFA LB Mark Magro. It doesn't sound like Magro had stood out a lot in practice, but in the live environment of scrimmage, he stood out with a pass break-up and what would have counted as a sack in a real game. Gotta like the guys who play best when it counts.

* Down: Julius Wilson, dominated at OT by the likes of Magro and Eric Moore. Would have given up two sacks. I suppose he deserves some slack since he hasn't been in camp long, but yeah, I don't know how much we were supposed to expect out of that great Dolphins offensive lineman factory.

* Up: Brock Berlin, at least if you're Nick Wagoner. Wagoner reports that Berlin is quite improved over last year, though he undermines his credibility in saying Berlin "handled himself fairly well" in last year's loss to the eminently beatable Bengals, a game the Rams could have won had Gus Frerotte been even 50% healthy. Berlin was about as ready for that game as Admiral Stockdale was for the 1992 Vice-Presidential debate. He was so shaky Scott Linehan was afraid to call any pass route that went more than five yards downfield. The fiasco at QB was the reason the Rams lost that game. Good for Berlin if he's actually improved; goodness knows he couldn't be any worse. As for Wagoner, I'll hope he's being more of a benefit-of-the-doubt reporter here than any kind of a company shill.

* Down: Nepotism. LB Vince Hall has been waived/injured, and replaced by - I'm SURE the best player they could find out there - WR coach Henry Ellard's cousin, Marcus Riley of Fresno State. I'm disappointed Hall couldn't translate his college success to the NFL, and let's just say I'm curious that the Rams decided the next best person to get would come off the old family tree. Good luck to Riley. Maybe he's not even supposed to be a factor; maybe Chamberlain and Vobora and Magro aren't going to give him a real chance anyway. But you always want to have the best competition available at every position, and I'm not convinced the Rams went that extra mile with this acquisition.