As another
hot weekend has come and gone and returned unmercifully, the
St.Louis Rams got in a couple of good practices in front of a nice
crowd in Earth City. Rams head coach Steve Spagnuolo was very
appreciative of the fans that showed up and braved the heat to
support this 2011 St.Louis Rams team.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>And this team is quickly starting to take shape before our very eyes. There are going to be some fierce battles for playing time on both sides of the football. At the position of wideout, you have 12 players vying for a position on the opening day roster.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>One of those players, Mardy Gilyard, looks like he’s in terrific shape. With new offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels now in the fold as primary play caller, maybe we’ll have a chance to see some of the things that made Gilyard such a threat in college.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Other notables in the wideout department, rookies Austin Pettis and Greg Salas, looked okay. It looks like they are still adjusting to NFL speed. Danario Alexander looked good and took a lot of reps with first unit. The Rams also added wideout Mike Sims-Walker, and that might mean no Mark Clayton anytime soon. His knee has yet to fully recover.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>The defense practiced with a lot of poise and comfort. With several veterans like James Hall, Ron Bartell and Bradley Fletcher already acclimated to the scheme, the Rams can creep up higher in overall defense. The Rams signed linebacker Zac Diles as a free agent and agreed to terms with defensive tackle Justin Bannan (6’3”, 310 lbs.). The Rams are hoping to use his athleticism, especially against the run.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Rookie Robert Quinn missed practice over the weekend. He did sign his deal after he terminated his agent, but wasn’t able to practice. Also he has a little knee injury that occurred prior to the draft. He and the Rams feel that injury is not an issue and he’s excited about hitting the practice field ASAP.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>The Rams also signed guard Harvey Dahl and traded guard John Greco to the Cleveland Browns.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Newly acquired free agents safety Quintin Mikell and cornerback Al Harris were on the sidelines for practice. That’s mainly because any veteran who signs or re-signs a deal cannot officially practice until the new collective bargaining agreement has been signed.
