Rams News

Storms prompt a move indoors

08/04/98

By Jim Thomas

MACOMB, Ill. -- The Rams' streak of good weather in Macomb ended at 2 Tuesday night. That's 2 -- as in 2 training camps. Midway through their third training camp at Western Illinois University, the Rams were forced indoors for the first time.
Heavy thunderstorms in the late afternoon, coupled with a forecast calling for more rain in the evening, caused the team to cancel a scheduled night practice at Hanson Field -- the home of the Western Illinois University football team.
The Rams moved indoors to Brophy Hall, into a gym used by the WIU women's basketball and volleyball teams, for an abbreviated workout. It proved to be a good move, because it began pouring outside right around the start of practice at 7 p.m.
``We got something out of it,'' coach Dick Vermeil said. ``It was better than not doing anything. We came in here and cut it way back -- did some reviewing of pass protection and blitz pickup, some situational work.''
They obviously did it at less than full speed on the gym floor. The confined quarters didn't prevent assistant coach Frank Gansz from strapping on his loudspeaker backpack to bark out instruction during the special teams period. Due to the low ceiling, place-kicker Jeff Wilkins tossed his ``kickoffs'' from about midcourt.
There were a few unusual drills during the 1 hour 20 minute workout, including a game of hot potato among the wide receivers. All the receivers gathered in a circle in one corner of the gym, and tossed a football around. If you dropped the ball, you lost. By the end of that session, only four of the team's 10 wide receivers were still alive. The ``winners'' were Az-Zahir Hakim, Eddie Kennison, Ricky Proehl and Russell Shaw.
Odd man out: To make room on the 80-man camp roster for running back Greg Hill, the Rams released cornerback Derrick Frazier. Hill and Frazier were college teammates at Texas A&M. Frazier was signed July 28, but suffered a hamstring injury his first day in camp and didn't practice again.
Unless he latches on with another team, Frazier can now concentrate on getting his magazine -- Controversy -- off the ground. According to Frazier, the magazine will deal with, ``Controversial issues. We'll just hit the topics in the world and in sports.''
Frazier, who edits and writes, came up with the idea for the magazine while watching guests on the Jerry Springer television show fighting.
Ram-blings: Former Vikings running back James Stewart was at Rams camp on Tuesday for a workout and a physical. Stewart, who is 6 feet 2 and 246 pounds, was a fifth-round draft pick by the Vikings in 1995 out of the University of Miami (Fla.). He gained 144 yards on 31 carries as a rookie in '95, but has not played in an NFL game since that season. . . . Rookie free agent Glenn Young Jr., a defensive end from Vanderbilt, will be sidelined three to four weeks after suffering a hamstring injury on Monday.

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