Rams News

Rams gather for another camp before summer break
06/11 09:27 PM

By Jim Thomas
Of the Post-Dispatch Staff

Other than the actual games, the distinction between offseason and season in the NFL has never been more blurred.
There's free agency. The draft. An offseason conditioning program that lasts nearly four months, and is punctuated by minicamps, rookie school, quarterback school. There's even something called organized team activity (or OTA) -- best described as a relaxed ``mini'' minicamp.
But the Rams reach the final significant milepost in this nearly endless procession today when the club starts a three-day minicamp at Rams Park. Eighty-five players are expected for two practices today and Saturday, and one practice Sunday. All workouts are closed to the public.
Then the team starts scattering for the summer. Some will stay till the bitter end of the offseason conditioning program June 24. The coaches get three weeks off, beginning June 20.
Dick Vermeil will return home to Pennsylvania for some R&R, including a family get together. But first, his Rams family gathers this weekend for the final time until training camp begins in late July.
Everyone except cornerback Ryan McNeil should be on the field this morning. McNeil continues to bypass team activities until he gets a longterm contract to his liking. Vermeil gets his first look at recent free agent pickups Willie Clark, a cornerback from the Philadelphia Eagles, and Ed Simmons, an offensive lineman from the Washington Redskins.
Quarterback Kurt Warner and offensive lineman Tom Nutten have returned from tours of duty with the Amsterdam Admirals of NFL Europe. Yet another prospect was added to the mix Thursday when the Rams signed strong safety Kadar Hamilton, a rookie free agent from Stanford.
Returning to the practice field today is backup wide receiver Malcolm Floyd, who has been sidelined since undergoing surgery for a torn Achilles' tendon in December. Starting safety Toby Wright takes his first tentative steps back on the field after undergoing reconstructive knee surgery in January. But Wright will be limited to individual drills only.
Sitting out the weekend are offensive guard Ryan Tucker (hamstring) and linebacker Troy Dumas (shoulder). Dumas underwent shoulder surgery following the Rams' postdraft minicamp in April and will miss the start of training camp.
What do Vermeil and the Rams hope to accomplish in just five practices this weekend?
``The big thing is to work through this minicamp with a concentration on mistake-free play, whether it be illegal procedure, or defensive offsides, or improper technique,'' Vermeil said.
In case you've forgotten -- and Vermeil hasn't -- the Rams led the league in penalties last season with a franchise record 142.
The emphasis on mistake-free play is part of Vermeil's overall theme for the '98 season. He wants the team to have a greater sense of accountability, urgency, and expectation.
``Just assuming some of the responsibility, and caring enough about the little things so that it carries over into training camp, and on into a game situation,'' Vermeil said. ``You can talk about it all you want, but you've got to keep hammering it home.''
The team's rookies -- drafted and undrafted -- are coming off a weeklong rookie school, so they should be better equipped to handle this minicamp than the one in April.
``We haven't thrown that much at them mentally,'' Vermeil said.
But that will change this weekend. ``And there will be some stuff new to the vets, too,'' Vermeil said.
Some wrinkles have been added to the passing game, including the shotgun, more two-back formations, and greater emphasis on incorporating tight end Ernie Conwell into the passing game.

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