The Rams and Titans appear to have two joint practices scheduled again today. The 8:30 session will be for special teams, 3:30 will be a regular practice. No practices tomorrow.
* Steven Jackson holdout, day 14. Jackson's total potential fine cracks the $200,000 mark with his absence today. So whenever he does show up, don't expect a happy hour anything like this.
There's a report out there which I haven't seen substantiated that Jackson and agent Eugene Parker are demanding he get the league's highest RB salary, and that he's willing to hold out into the regular season and beyond.
If that report is true, Jackson and Parker are bigger douchebags than I ever thought.
* We were having a football scrimmage when a hockey game broke out!
Speaking of d-bags, hearty congratulations from RamView to Titans DE Kyle Vanden Bosch, easy winner of yesterday's Cheap-Shotting Piece of Crap Award. Let's see, reports say he drove Travis Minor to the ground late, slugged Roy Schuening in the back of the head, cheap-shotted Dane Looker and scrapped with Adam Goldberg, setting the tone for cheap-shots from the rest of the Titan defense, including a Titan DT clotheslining a Ram WR from behind, Keith Bulluck ripping off Reche Caldwell's helmet during a fight and Torry Holt getting blasted over the middle and getting his headgear knocked off... scrimmage ends right there if I'm head coach. I'm not risking a Hall-of-Fame wide receiver because Jeff Fisher is a neanderthal fuck who can't/won't control his players. Doesn't sound like a damn thing has changed in Fisher's brain since 2000. There's intensity, and there's cheap-shotting, and the Titans didn't cross that line yesterday; they were already on the other side of the line before practice started. Albert Haynesworth even complained that the Titans were focusing too much on winning fights and not enough on actually playing.
To their credit, the Rams didn't back down, or complain about the Titans' cheap-shot antics anywhere near as much as I am here. Reche Caldwell answered the Titans with an apparent cheap-shot of his own, which started his fight. Goldberg got in the fight with Vanden Bosch standing up for Schuening. Go Goldberg. Even Mark LeVoir was getting into it. And by Nick Wagoner's account,
the Rams looked quite good in the scrimmage on offense and defense, and everybody had settled way down by the afternoon sessions.
There's no such thing as winning a scrimmage, but I'd score it that way for the Rams anyway.
* The fall of Berlin.
Brock Berlin, on the other hand, got picked off twice yesterday, and apparently looked so bad that at least two of the St. Louis writers covering practice, including Berlin Fan Club President Wagoner, thought Bruce Gradkowski would replace him for the afternoon practice. No report of what happened there, though.
* Preseason Challenge.
Technology willing, the 2008 Preseason Challenge will ramp it up tonight with, yes, a double-header: Saints at Big Dead on ESPN and Chiefs at Bears on NFL Network.
A Thursday night preseason doubleheader? Hey, there's no other way to do this but to be hard-core.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Between the lines 8/7
Bill Coats reports very good practices Wednesday for Alex Barron, Jacob Bell and Nick Leckey. Nick Wagoner also had glowing reviews for Leckey. Leckey worked with the first string with Brett Romberg still limited by a hand injury. This left Richie Incognito at RG, with Mark Setterstrom limited to individual drills.
Thinking about Fred Miller's experience in Nashville in 1999, I'm expecting Alex Barron to false-start about a dozen times Saturday night. But he's by all accounts having a solid camp, and if he's for real, improved play from Barron would be a huge boost for the Rams' offense.
Chris Long excelled in one-on-one drills, so there's more fuel for the fire of us hoping he'll boost the Rams' defense as well.
One thing worrying me as a fan hoping the Rams will have a better and more physical running game this season, other than Steven Jackson's holdout, is the injuries going on with his blockers. Anthony Becht has been down with a hamstring injury. Though Russ Weil's giving Dan Kreider a very good run for the potential fullback job, I've been banking on Kreider, but he's been missing time with a knee injury.
The Ram running game needs these guys.
And Jackson.
Thinking about Fred Miller's experience in Nashville in 1999, I'm expecting Alex Barron to false-start about a dozen times Saturday night. But he's by all accounts having a solid camp, and if he's for real, improved play from Barron would be a huge boost for the Rams' offense.
Chris Long excelled in one-on-one drills, so there's more fuel for the fire of us hoping he'll boost the Rams' defense as well.
One thing worrying me as a fan hoping the Rams will have a better and more physical running game this season, other than Steven Jackson's holdout, is the injuries going on with his blockers. Anthony Becht has been down with a hamstring injury. Though Russ Weil's giving Dan Kreider a very good run for the potential fullback job, I've been banking on Kreider, but he's been missing time with a knee injury.
The Ram running game needs these guys.
And Jackson.
Injury report 8/7
Sitting out Wednesday's practices:
- Victor Adeyanju (broken finger, will miss preseason)
- OJ Atogwe (hamstring, "day-to-day" though he hasn't practiced most of training camp)
- Donnie Avery (cracked pelvis, supposed to be out another week or so)
- Anthony Becht (hamstring)
- Fakhir Brown (slight rotator cuff tear - but I think he's supposed to return to action before the season starts)
- Steven Jackson (ass).
I wouldn't expect to see any of these players in action Saturday night. The statuses of Brett Romberg and Mark Setterstrom are confusing; they didn't scrimmage but apparently did practice.
- Victor Adeyanju (broken finger, will miss preseason)
- OJ Atogwe (hamstring, "day-to-day" though he hasn't practiced most of training camp)
- Donnie Avery (cracked pelvis, supposed to be out another week or so)
- Anthony Becht (hamstring)
- Fakhir Brown (slight rotator cuff tear - but I think he's supposed to return to action before the season starts)
- Steven Jackson (ass).
I wouldn't expect to see any of these players in action Saturday night. The statuses of Brett Romberg and Mark Setterstrom are confusing; they didn't scrimmage but apparently did practice.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Training camp headlines 8/6
The Rams practice twice today at Baptist Sports Park just outside downtown Nashville, Tennessee. Practice times appear to be 8:30 and 3:30.
* Steven Jackson holdout, day 13. Jim Thomas and Bill Coats can't decide exactly how much Jackson can be fined per day now - Thomas said $15,166 yesterday, Coats says $15,116 today; hey, what's $50 among friends? - so RamView will stick with the round $15,000 number and estimate Jackson's total potential fine at $195,000, assuming he doesn't show up today. (Damn, he could have bought a Cold Stone Creamery with that money!)
No one would love to see Jackson report to Mequon today more than RamView, especially because the Rams are actually in Nashville holding joint practices with the Tennessee Titans.
Claude Wroten's probably kicking himself for missing a joint practice, no?
* Steven Jackson holdout, day 13. Jim Thomas and Bill Coats can't decide exactly how much Jackson can be fined per day now - Thomas said $15,166 yesterday, Coats says $15,116 today; hey, what's $50 among friends? - so RamView will stick with the round $15,000 number and estimate Jackson's total potential fine at $195,000, assuming he doesn't show up today. (Damn, he could have bought a Cold Stone Creamery with that money!)
No one would love to see Jackson report to Mequon today more than RamView, especially because the Rams are actually in Nashville holding joint practices with the Tennessee Titans.
Claude Wroten's probably kicking himself for missing a joint practice, no?
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Training camp headlines 8/5
The Rams practice at 9:40 this morning, then travel to Tennessee. They start practicing with the Titans tomorrow, leading up to the preseason game between the two teams Saturday night.
* Jackson holdout day 12. Jim Thomas reports that Jackson isn't expected to show up today and is knowingly potentially losing a year of credit toward unrestricted free agency. If the owners void the existing CBA, he'll have to be in the league six seasons before becoming eligible for UFA instead of five. That could make him only a RFA in 2010. Jackson's gamble is that the owners won't void the CBA. Thomas believes it's unlikely. I believe it's completely likely because, well, it's professional sports owners. They're stupid enough to let it get this close; don't bank on them not to pull the trigger. Jackson would seem to be risking millions of dollars down the line in holding out for a deal now, which has me questioning his intelligence now as well as his integrity.
I guess inflation kicked in, because Thomas also reports Jackson's maximum daily fine is $15,166. So if he's an idiot and sacrifices a year of eligibility by not showing up today, his total fine could be as much as $181,992. Well, there goes his ability to buy the world's most expensive bottle of whiskey. C'mon, it's not like you can find that kind of money in between the cushions of your couch or in the walls of your house or anything!
Today for me is the day that Jackson's holdout will have gone on beyond reason. Do I think the Rams are lowballing him? Yes. But if he's willing to let his holdout go to idiotic, self-destructive lengths - all you have to do is show up, bud - he's making it impossible to side with him.
* Yesterday had the first legit fight of training camp, between Leonard Little and Richard Owens. Little objected to a chop-block-like move from Owens. Doesn't that figure, Owens couldn't block anybody last year, now this year, he's trying to take out HIS OWN TEAMMATES. How does this guy manage to stay on the roster?
As for training camp fights, you hear many say they're a good sign, the team is fired up, ready to compete, etc. Well, the Rams had that huge fight at last year's scrimmage between Jackson and OJ Atogwe, with Incognito adding some late Turleyage - how'd that team do? Jackson and Adam Archuleta had a mini-brawl in '05 - how did that team do?
Funny how all these fights involve Jackson, btw.
* Nick Wagoner continues to gush about Brock Berlin. Marc Bulger continues to excel - as a receiver?
* Thomas reported on 1380 yesterday that the offense was actually practicing the "victory formation". Lord knows they didn't get much work at it last year.
* Jackson holdout day 12. Jim Thomas reports that Jackson isn't expected to show up today and is knowingly potentially losing a year of credit toward unrestricted free agency. If the owners void the existing CBA, he'll have to be in the league six seasons before becoming eligible for UFA instead of five. That could make him only a RFA in 2010. Jackson's gamble is that the owners won't void the CBA. Thomas believes it's unlikely. I believe it's completely likely because, well, it's professional sports owners. They're stupid enough to let it get this close; don't bank on them not to pull the trigger. Jackson would seem to be risking millions of dollars down the line in holding out for a deal now, which has me questioning his intelligence now as well as his integrity.
I guess inflation kicked in, because Thomas also reports Jackson's maximum daily fine is $15,166. So if he's an idiot and sacrifices a year of eligibility by not showing up today, his total fine could be as much as $181,992. Well, there goes his ability to buy the world's most expensive bottle of whiskey. C'mon, it's not like you can find that kind of money in between the cushions of your couch or in the walls of your house or anything!
Today for me is the day that Jackson's holdout will have gone on beyond reason. Do I think the Rams are lowballing him? Yes. But if he's willing to let his holdout go to idiotic, self-destructive lengths - all you have to do is show up, bud - he's making it impossible to side with him.
* Yesterday had the first legit fight of training camp, between Leonard Little and Richard Owens. Little objected to a chop-block-like move from Owens. Doesn't that figure, Owens couldn't block anybody last year, now this year, he's trying to take out HIS OWN TEAMMATES. How does this guy manage to stay on the roster?
As for training camp fights, you hear many say they're a good sign, the team is fired up, ready to compete, etc. Well, the Rams had that huge fight at last year's scrimmage between Jackson and OJ Atogwe, with Incognito adding some late Turleyage - how'd that team do? Jackson and Adam Archuleta had a mini-brawl in '05 - how did that team do?
Funny how all these fights involve Jackson, btw.
* Nick Wagoner continues to gush about Brock Berlin. Marc Bulger continues to excel - as a receiver?
* Thomas reported on 1380 yesterday that the offense was actually practicing the "victory formation". Lord knows they didn't get much work at it last year.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Training camp headines 8/4
The Rams will practice at 8:45 and 4:00 today.
* Jackson holdout. It'll be Steven Jackson's 11th missed day of practice if he continues his holdout. The total potential fine of $165,000 could crimp any plans Jackson may have had of buying a vineyard in Argentina.
* Quick notes. Quinton Culberson tweaked an ankle during Saturday's scrimmage but shouldn't miss any time. Richie Incognito is back at starting RG right now with Mark Setterstrom still out due to a leg muscle strain.
* Preseason challenge. The 2008 Preseason Challenge got off to less than a rousing start last night. Computer problems delayed me from blogging the game for a couple of hours, but I was able to get it in thanks to TiVo. Next game: Saints at Big Dead Thursday night.
* Around the league. Panthers suspend Steve Smith for the first two games of the regular season for beating the crap out of teammate Ken Lucas. So both the NFL's Steve Smiths are now notorious for beating up teammates, which Steve Smith of the Giants did to Dominique Byrd at USC.
* Jackson holdout. It'll be Steven Jackson's 11th missed day of practice if he continues his holdout. The total potential fine of $165,000 could crimp any plans Jackson may have had of buying a vineyard in Argentina.
* Quick notes. Quinton Culberson tweaked an ankle during Saturday's scrimmage but shouldn't miss any time. Richie Incognito is back at starting RG right now with Mark Setterstrom still out due to a leg muscle strain.
* Preseason challenge. The 2008 Preseason Challenge got off to less than a rousing start last night. Computer problems delayed me from blogging the game for a couple of hours, but I was able to get it in thanks to TiVo. Next game: Saints at Big Dead Thursday night.
* Around the league. Panthers suspend Steve Smith for the first two games of the regular season for beating the crap out of teammate Ken Lucas. So both the NFL's Steve Smiths are now notorious for beating up teammates, which Steve Smith of the Giants did to Dominique Byrd at USC.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
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.
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.
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