Random Ramsdom: Rob Havenstein praises offensive line coach

The Los Angeles Rams have new players and new coaches and many of these guys are really getting to know each for the first time. It’s exciting to see players praising their coaches and we should hear plenty of coaches talking up the players during this time as well. That fluff is nice, it’s positive and I am here for it. You know what else I am here for? The actual games when the weight of all the compliments and positivity will be measured against other NFL teams.

Thanks for checking out today’s links. My question for today is this, and it’s early but have any of the new coaches for the Rams stood out to you yet? I cannot say anyone has stood out to me so far, but I will be curious to see the direction this team goes with the new hires and I think all of us will have varying opinions on this topic soon enough.

Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below and have a great day!

Rob Havenstein shares one ‘really important’ trait that OL coach Ryan Wendell brings to Rams (ramswire)

“The Los Angeles Rams didn’t just make personnel changes this offseason. Sean McVay’s coaching staff also looks very different after letting several assistants go and bringing in replacements.

Among the new faces on the Rams’ staff is Ryan Wendell. Fans might recognize his name from his playing days, spending nine years in the NFL from 2008-2016. He even won a Super Bowl as a starter with the Patriots in 2014, playing 80 total games in his career.

His experience as a player is something that’s very evident to Rob Havenstein already, in a good way, too. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Havenstein mentioned how impressed he’s been with Wendell thus far, particularly because he knows what it’s like to be in the players’ shoes.

“You can tell he’s played before. And that’s something that’s really important,” Havenstein said of Wendell. “I mean, you don’t have to have to have played – obviously, there’s a lot of great coaches who haven’t played – but in terms of like relating to a new group, and especially a young group, because, I mean, he did it for nine years, right? So he understands the game, he understands the politics, he understands about being in the seat, like a player’s seat in the meeting room, and kind of how things are. So he’s very specific with his words and how he words things and what he’s telling guys, and I think it’s a good thing because it’s a good, uniform message, and especially with how young we are, everyone’s hearing the same thing.”

Wendell replaced Kevin Carberry, who spent two years with the Rams in 2021 and 2022 before joining the Saints as their assistant O-line coach this year. Los Angeles didn’t bring Carberry back, likely in part because of the struggles along the O-line in 2022.

Wendell will hopefully get the blocking back on track this year and it sounds like he’s already off to a good start.

“He’s not a screamer, he’s not a shouter,” Havenstein continued. “He’s gonna make sure you know what you’ve gotta do, and then he’s gonna put it on you to go ahead and get it done. And I think that’s the way NFL football should be. At the end of the day, it’s up to the player. The coach can’t play on Sunday. I think we’ve got a really good relationship going in here – not just myself, but everyone in the room – and gonna continue to build that here in training camp and see where he can take this thing.”

Stan Kroenke keeps spending (dailycannon)

“The ambitious project involves the construction of a new 16,000-seater arena, 4,250 residential units, a 200-room hotel, and an expansive 20-acre park and plaza space.

Keeping stakes and shares

In the project’s initial stages, housing developer Zephyr and specialist agency Legends remain as general partners, each holding a five per cent stake.

However, these shares are set to halve further once construction commences.

Interestingly, the house-building firm Chelsea remains a partner on the project but does not hold an ownership stake.

As per the agreement, the limited partner and general partners are reportedly set to share 75 per cent of the proceeds proportionately, based on ownership interest after capital investments are recouped.

Zephyr and Legends will split the remaining 25 per cent of the project’s proceeds.

Kroenke’s connection to San Diego

Stan Kroenke is a significant figure in the sports world, holding ownership of the NBA champions Denver Nuggets and the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams.

His companies operate several stadiums that house his teams, such as Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium and the Rams’ SoFi Stadium.

However, Kroenke has a contentious history with San Diego, having relocated the Rams from the Southern Californian city to Los Angeles.”

Rams Claim LB Sterling Weatherford Off Waivers From Bears (ontapsportsnet.com)

“Per Tom Pelissero and the wire, the Rams claimed linebacker Sterling Weatherford off waivers from the Bears.

Weatherford was claimed off waivers by the Bears last season from the Indianapolis Colts. Weatherford played defensive back in college at the University of Miami (OH) and was converted to linebacker after signing with the Colts as an undrafted free agent. Colts fans feel like Weatherford was one of the player that got away, inferring Weatherford’s services were highly coveted.”

Rams OLB Michael Hoecht Reveals Expectations of New Position (fannation/ramsdigest)

“Michael Hoecht was listed as a defensive lineman last season but primarily played special teams. However, he’s expected to start as a blitzing linebacker due to the lack of depth.

Hoecht discussed how he’s been adapting to his new position during the press conference.

“It’s more about changing how you train,” Hoecht said. “At three-tech position, you do a lot of twitch, get off-the-ball strategies immediately. This offseason I focused specifically on top-end speed and running more distance because I’ll have to drop into coverage and run a bit more.”

The 25-year-old mentioned that his new position group is very new to the NFL and they’ve had a lot of liberty in creating a culture.

“The outside linebacker room has a lot of ownership over it because we’re all really young and this is [outside linebackers coach] Joe Coniglio’s first year,” Hoecht said.

Hoecht acknowledged that his young group will have to begin taking leadership roles earlier than expected.

“This is a next-up league and when you don’t have a lot of veterans in your room, it’s up to the young guys to step up and fill those roles,” Hoecht said. “The expectation is we’re going to be the best outside linebacker group. We’re gonna play well, cover people, stop the run and get off the field on third down.”

Happy belated birthday, Van!