The St. Louis Rams had a light day of practice this morning in anticipation of tonight's scrimmage. (BTW, anyone out there planning on going to the scrimmage tonight?)
Shorts and shells were the rule in Earth City today, but FB Mike Karney was on the field, walking through the drills. Spags was away for Jim Johnson's funeral and the media didn't get their questions answered about Karney's status. Keep an eye out for whether or not he plays in the scrimmage tonight. That should be a pretty good indicator of where he's at in recovering from his ankle injury.
High praise from the national media for some of the Rams young players. Here's Don Banks on Chris Long:
The team's 2008 first-round pick, defensive end Chris Long, looks quicker off the ball, and is part of a veteran Rams defensive end group (along with Leonard Little and James Hall) that has stood out early on.
That's good to hear. Flajole is counting on Long to be a key guy in the Rams pass rush, and it sounds like Long is ready to deliver. Here's Banks on James Launinaitis:
Hard to watch second-round linebacker James Laurinaitis and not see him as a natural who could start for the next 10 years in St. Louis. He just looks like a football player, and the Rams say he has already impressed team veterans with his passion for the game, his smarts, and his business-like approach to his play and the game.
It would be naive to think that Animal Jr. is going to look like a superstar in his rookie season, but I think his presence will definitely be noticeable. And here's something really encouraging about spring trade acquisition WR Laurent Robinson:
Keep an eye on third receiver Laurent Robinson, who the Rams got in a low-profile draft weekend trade with Atlanta. He's had a strong camp so far and sources say he could rise as high as the team's No. 2 receiver behind leading pass-catcher Donnie Avery.
Banks' opinion is echoed by NFL.com's Steve Wyche:
St. Louis might have found a complementary receiving option in third-year player Laurent Robinson, who was acquired in a low-profile trade with Atlanta over the summer. The 6-2, 200-pound Robinson is working in the top-three receiver rotation, playing wide and out of the slot. He is a deep threat but is also a solid catch-and-run player, which is ideal for St. Louis' West Coast system.
I really think the Rams group of wide receivers will get much better results than pundits predict. In fact, I think the results will surprise lots of people and serve up more than one platter of crow to the more superstar-blinded members of the media.
Get your reports from the scrimmage in, so we can share them with everyone. I'll have a look back at the week that was in Rams training camp tomorrow morning.