As we surf the internet right now, the Rams are reporting to camp. We should have lots of information to parse tomorrow.
One thing I'll be interested to see is how much, if at all, Carriker adds to his total weight. He was 312 for minicamp, and another five pounds today might help keep his weight in the DT range through the sweltering two-a-days under the late July sunshine.
Despite his suspension, Fakhir Brown still gets to practice with the team. I suppose that's one positive, but since the Rams have to play Bartell and Walls in his place for a first quarter season schedule that's no walk in the park how are they going to work reps in camp?
There's lots of other questions, with the biggest and most obvious having been covered pretty well around here and across the web.
Simpsons Movie mania is sweeping the country...even NFL previews. The Rams roughly equate to Mr. Burns. And we think that could be "excellent."
Trying to asses the Rams defense coming into this season has become a subject in and of itself. We're all trying to put predictions on something we just really have no idea about. Of all the things that have been said so far in this area, perhaps the most salient point was made by the PD's Jeff Gordon in his live chat this Monday. To wit:
Wroten, despite making the news for the wrong reasons earlier this month, worked pretty hard this offseason to get "bigger, faster and stronger." He comes across as a man possessed in this interview. Training in the Louisiana summer can' be an easy task for anyone. Wroten's offseason regimen points to big things from a player the Rams are counting on for a breakout season.
A lot of guys on the team have told me that I could become one of the best defensive linemen in the league, and that's what I'm striving to do.
I want to have at least 10 sacks. That's how determined I am and how much confidence I have in my ability.
Lines like this normally smack of player hyperbole, so common in the NFL, but if you read the rest of what the tackle has to say, his obvious sincerity comes through. Here's a couple highlights:
I'm willing to do the things to help the team win.
Yes, that's what we like to hear, and he's content with rotating with Glover too. Here's another beam of hope for Wroten and a big reason why we can reasonably expect some improvement on the defense from the young, second and third year players that will be the key to the team's success:
I've probably reprinted enough quotes from the interview to risk copyrighter's wrath. Be sure to also see the mature way in which Wroten answers questions about his off-field incident this season and his marijuana incident from the past.
Ok, on with camp...