{"id":54299,"date":"2016-08-10T08:52:02","date_gmt":"2016-08-10T15:52:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/midvalleysports.com\/?p=54299"},"modified":"2016-08-10T08:52:02","modified_gmt":"2016-08-10T15:52:02","slug":"rams-training-camp-notes-08092016","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/midvalleysports.com\/?p=54299","title":{"rendered":"Rams Training Camp Notes: 08\/09\/2016"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Rams\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Rams Head Coach Jeff Fisher \u2013 Training Camp Post-Practice \u2013 August 9, 2016<\/u><\/b><\/p>\n

(On practice today)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cPractice was good. I can\u2019t ever remember where we didn\u2019t have a good practice. There were some highlights in it and some things we\u2019re going to have to correct. The two, two-minute drives that we had were extraordinary. It\u2019s really, really fun once you get into that. And we\u2019ll be doing that quite often as we move through camp \u2013 just putting offense and defense in different situations. It\u2019s not only good for players, but it\u2019s good for coaches because every scenario ends up being different. You can start with 1:10 and one timeout, down by a touchdown and you never know what you\u2019re going to end up with. I thought the offense handled it really well, there was some cerebral things that took place in both drives.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

(On what it is about DT Aaron Donald that enables him to do so many things at such a young age when, in some circles, he\u2019s not your typical defensive lineman)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cAaron, he\u2019s exceptionally strong and explosive. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Then you add the instincts to it and he\u2019s very, very smart. Aaron will watch the huddle break and he\u2019ll look out and look at receiver splits and see where the tight end is and what the back\u2019s depth is and pressure on offensive linemen\u2019s stances and basically know where the ball is going. Because of that, he puts himself in position to make so many plays.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

(On how happy he is with the progression of TE Tyler Higbee)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a rookie in training camp that\u2019s just getting better every day. He had to work through some injury issues through the OTAs, but he\u2019s there. He\u2019s been there every day. He\u2019s making plays, blocking is something that\u2019s improving that we need to continue to work on. As far as going down the field and catching the football and running after catch, he has got all those qualities to play in the open.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

(On how he felt QB Jared Goff did in the two-minute drills today)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was designed to give him a chance to work with the 1s in two-minute. He took the ball right down the field and got points and that was good \u2013 not necessarily good for the defense, but it was good for Jared and the offense. It\u2019s always good to get him working with the other offensive linemen and get him a chance to work with (C) Tim (Barnes) from a communications standpoint, because Tim is so smart up front. Tim can take some of that load off him and let him play.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

(On if there was something he wanted to see TE Brian Quick focus on this offseason.)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cNo different than anybody else, but we stressed improvement, the relationship with his new coach (wide receivers\/passing game coordinator Mike Groh), different techniques, different types of routes. Somewhat of an offensive change that we went through and he\u2019s done that; he\u2019s making plays, he\u2019s going up, he\u2019s elevating, he\u2019s staying healthy. He\u2019s running all day long, which is good, he really conditions himself and put (himself) in a position to get ready for camp. Hopefully that will translate over into production in the preseason games.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

(On the decision to bring in Mike Groh)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWe made some hard decisions, not only during the season, but after the season was over \u2013 changes were necessary. So, we went out and tried to hire the best guys we could. It was an opportunity for us to be able to talk to Mike as a passing game coordinator. The Bears and (Head) Coach (John) Fox gave us permission and it really fit in because (offensive coordinator) Rob\u2019s (Boras) expertise is in the run game and the play-action and protection. I just wanted to expand it a little bit in the passing game. Watching tape and having played the Bears and being familiar with what they were doing, in the passing game, was kind of the direction we wanted to go. It\u2019s been great, he\u2019s handled it really well and they\u2019re working really well together. So hopefully it turns into production for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

(On if he\u2019s had a chance to see the robotic tackling dummies on the field and what his thoughts are)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, it\u2019s kind of cool. We were aware of it, we were aware of the concept and the prototypes a long time ago and they just got the first two out, so we invited them out. There\u2019s a place for it, there\u2019s a place for it at our level and there\u2019s a place for these things at all levels. In this day and age when we\u2019re so concussion-conscious and contact-conscious, live contact between players, you want to reduce as much as you can \u2013 but you still have to have the contact. This is an opportunity to hit a bag that\u2019s moving and a bag that moves around pretty fast. We had the demonstration right after the walk-thru and even got to drive it a little bit. It\u2019s kind of cool. If I could get it to go upstairs, I could have them do bed-check.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

(On if Goff will continue to get playing times with the 1s)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, that\u2019s part of the process. As I mentioned, he\u2019s getting walk-thru reps with the 1s. This is one of the first or second times he\u2019s gotten live reps with the 1s, but that will increase.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

(On if the media can read into that, if a quarterback change is imminent)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cRead whatever you want. I\u2019m going to start him when he\u2019s ready to play. It\u2019s all about the process and it\u2019s about being patient.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

(On if the change in the rookie wage scale makes it easier for a guy to be able to come along slowly)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s really no financial consideration entering into our decision.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

(On if that change plays into how a roster is constructed)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think so. The higher you draft players, the quicker you want them to play. I don\u2019t think it does \u2013 maybe at some other positions. You can rest assured that you\u2019ve got a good deal for four or five years. If you\u2019ve done your homework and you get the right guy and you\u2019re efficient in the organization, you\u2019re extending the contracts before they expire.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

(On if he typically doesn\u2019t have tackling practices before games)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWe tackled today, we don\u2019t tackle to the ground, but we form tackle every day on defense \u2013 whether we\u2019re in pads or not, there\u2019s some type of tackling drill that we do. We had 10 plays at the Coliseum Saturday that were live plays where we did tackle to the ground, but typically we wait. I, personally, always wait until the preseason. That\u2019s the first thing that we address in the game is tackling. That\u2019s always an issue, there\u2019s always more missed tackles in the first preseason game than there are in the second and the third and the fourth because you just haven\u2019t done it from a live, go to the ground standpoint.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Rams Offensive Coordinator Rob Boras \u2013 Training Camp Post-Practice \u2013 August 9, 2016<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

(On how things have been going the past two weeks)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cGood! Obviously, we\u2019re just going through the teaching process of everything, for all the players, and still installing the offense, and all the different situations that (Head) Coach (Jeff) Fisher is putting in. Each day, we just try to attack that day.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

(On how is QB Jared Goff doing, and what do you expect from him this Saturday in the first preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cJared is getting better. Just like we hope everybody is getting better. Again, every day is a new day. A lot of the install that we put in today was the first time that these guys got to do it. Not just him, but for everybody. It takes guys two or three times running the play before they really feel comfortable with it, and you saw that across the offense today. So, Jared is handling everything well. Obviously, we want him just to relax Saturday night. It\u2019s just kind of like when we started OTAs and we started training camp, everybody gets on edge, there\u2019s a lot of expectations. The more that he can go out there and just settle in, like we saw him settle in at the coliseum during the family day, he\u2019s going to play confident. We know he\u2019s talented, so, him just doing what he does. And obviously everyone else just playing football around him.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

(On whether or not the coaching staff has formulated a game plan on usage on how much Jared is going to play Saturday against the Cowboys)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cNo. Right now, we\u2019re dialed in, tomorrow is the special teams practice, and then we\u2019re doing install number nine, and then after that we\u2019ll start talking about the Cowboys. Right now, it\u2019s about the Rams getting better. And we\u2019ll talk the playing time, we\u2019ll figure out exactly what we\u2019re going to do game-plan wise. We want to run plays that guys are comfortable with. But, we\u2019re just focusing on, right now, the Rams getting better.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

(On if the mentality of the players have changed from last week to this week)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cPlayers are resilient, I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s changed much. You know, obviously, it was exciting to be in that Coliseum. I think that all of the guys felt that and they were prepared for that. And I think their excited to get back in there. They understand though they\u2019ve got to deal with, today was win Tuesday. And then we\u2019re back out here Thursday, it\u2019s winning Thursday. And eventually, we\u2019ll try to win Friday, and the next day. So, they know it\u2019s out there. But again, we\u2019ve got to make sure that they\u2019re focused on today.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

(On what you\u2019ve seen out of TE Tyler Higbee that has shown you he is a consistent player)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cTyler really has handled everything well. It started fast, and I don\u2019t know why, but you get to that point where you\u2019re kind of waiting for that rookie slump, if you win for a couple of days, it hasn\u2019t happened. He\u2019s mentally tough. He\u2019s handled the installation well. We\u2019re putting him in some situations that he wasn\u2019t asked to do in college, and handling it very well. Every day is a learning experience, and he\u2019s going to see some things in the run game and protections that he\u2019s got to improve, but he\u2019s just a mentally tough kid that is determined to succeed.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

(On the kind of situations have you put TE Tyler Higbee in)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cBlocking (DE) Will Hayes. There\u2019s not many Will Hayes. When you\u2019re asked to block that, that\u2019s different than what he\u2019s had to do. You do that enough times, you better learn how to drop your pads and play a little stronger.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

(On WR Pharoh Cooper not falling into a rookie slump)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cCoop is handling everything really well. We love what Pharoh can do. It\u2019s great to get him back out and just, obviously Saturday night we\u2019re going to try and get those guys going and just feeling comfortable, and not trying to overthink anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

(On being an offensive coordinator now, and how have things gone for him personally these past few weeks of training camp)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just like the players. Every day is a new day. This is my first time going through the training camp experience. I\u2019d be lying if I say I\u2019m still not learning, and that\u2019s why we come out and practice. It\u2019s a new day. Just like I challenge the players to try and attack that day and us coaches, we have to have that same sort of mentality. So, tomorrow is a new day and coach is going to put us in different situations. And then those team periods where it\u2019s not scripted, you got to think and tries to make it as game-like as possible. Between the offensive staff and everything that\u2019s going on, it\u2019s been a great group to work with.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

(On the limitations when you\u2019re practicing against each other and when you\u2019re still installing the system)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWell what we\u2019ve tried to do is not change our rules. Offense, you need to know your rules. And if you start game planning specifically against Coach (Gregg) Williams\u2019 defense and you change your rules, then you\u2019re going to struggle to succeed when the game really matters. Again, it\u2019s just teaching the rules, understanding what the foundation is, and they can always go back to that.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

(On what do you see Saturday that you just can\u2019t see out here on the practice field)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, the speed. We try to get fast here, but for a lot of these guys, speed on Saturday, even in the preseason, it\u2019s going to be a step higher than what they\u2019re getting in practice. Then when we have the opener, it\u2019s going to be a step faster. And a lot of these young guys are not going to really recognize how much faster the game is on Sunday, or Monday night in this case. It\u2019s different, and it\u2019s going to be different Saturday for them. That\u2019s why you have preseason games, so those guys can understand how it changes.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

(On having two tight ends you\u2019re comfortable with, is that something you\u2019re looking for)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cObviously, anytime, really, three with Cory Harkey, and obviously we\u2019re bringing Temarrick (Hemingway) along, and all those guys in that group. The more guys that you can have do multiple jobs, so that they\u2019re lining up as a tight end and maybe as a fullback. Or, they\u2019re lined up as slot receiver. Hopefully we can dictate and it provides a little bit more versatility for us. So, we\u2019re looking for that with all of these tight ends.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Los Angeles Rams Media Release 08\/09\/2016<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Rams Head Coach Jeff Fisher \u2013 Training Camp Post-Practice \u2013 August 9, 2016<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-54299","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-stories-news-notes-around-professional-football"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/midvalleysports.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54299","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/midvalleysports.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/midvalleysports.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/midvalleysports.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/midvalleysports.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=54299"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/midvalleysports.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54299\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":54300,"href":"http:\/\/midvalleysports.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54299\/revisions\/54300"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/midvalleysports.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=54299"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/midvalleysports.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=54299"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/midvalleysports.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=54299"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}