Rams News

Vermeil trims Rams' practice time
09/16 10:39 PM

By Jim Thomas
Of the Post-Dispatch Staff

There was an unusual sight just after 4 p.m. Wednesday on the practice fields at Rams Park.
Nothing.
No players. No coaches. No equipment managers. Or trainers, strength coaches, ball boys, video crew. Because practice was over.
After his players expressed concerns Monday over lengthy practices, meeting times, and the overall work day, Rams coach Dick Vermeil unveiled a revised work day schedule Wednesday. It's main features:
> Players don't have to report to work until 9 a.m., rather than 8 a.m. Injured players needing treatment do not have to show up until 8 a.m., instead of the previous 7 a.m.
> The time on the practice field Wednesday, Thursday and Friday will be shortened by at least a half-hour daily. The Rams were on and off the field Wednesday in about 2 hours 15 minutes. Under the old schedule, Wednesday and Thursday practices lasted between 2 hours 45 minutes and 3 hours, and players didn't get off the field until about 4:45 p.m.
Vermeil's swift response to player concerns was surprising given his ``old-school'' coaching style and headstrong personality.
``You're being polite,'' Vermeil said. ``I'm stubborn, no question. You have to believe in something. And if you don't believe in things firmly, you can't sell them to anybody else.''
But in this case, Vermeil has shown some flexibility.
``I've made some adjustments in my schedule that I think will help relieve any tension that (the players) have in their mind in regard to how hard I work them and how long they're on the field,'' Vermeil said. ``I like them coming to me and expressing their thoughts.
``I don't want anything ever to be used as an excuse for not playing well, and I expressed that to them. But anything I can do to help them mentally and physically feel they can play better, then I listen to them.''
But don't think that Vermeil has gone soft, or reinvented himself as a coach. There's actually less to the revised schedule than meets the eye, as Vermeil is the first to admit.
> For one, the later arrival time in the morning comes largely at the expense of players' free time during the work day. Example: Their lunch period has been shortened.
> For another, the amount of work the players actually do on the field won't change one bit. They'll do the same amount of practice repetitions. Only now, some drills will be held concurrently -- something Vermeil says he has never done before as a coach.
Example: On Wednesday, while the first-team offense was taking part in a nine-on-seven drill against the ``scout'' team defense, the first-team defense was participating in a seven-on-seven session against the scout team offense on a different field. (The scout team mimics the plays of the opposing team.)
> For a third, even though the players were jogging off the field shortly after 4 p.m., that didn't mean they were heading home in time for the 5 o'clock news. There were post-practice meetings to attend, and weightlifting for some players.
``He gave some and we gave some,'' linebacker Mike A. Jones said. ``The guys weren't complaining about working hard. That never was the issue. It's just that we thought we were on the field a little too long.''
The early reviews seemed to be positive.
``We have less time standing around,'' quarterback Tony Banks said. ``Previously, we were doing offensive and defensive drills at different times. So I spent a lot of time standing around. Receivers spent a lot of time standing around. My back tends to get a little tight. My arm gets a little tight. This way, practice will be a little crisper and faster, and there won't be as much down time.''
But beyond the changes, defensive tackle Kevin Carter said, ``I think it's good that we have a coach that listens to us and values our opinion. A lot of people in that position aren't going to listen. They aren't going to hear you. We have an open-minded coach who's dedicated to winning and keeping everybody happy.''
So does everyone now live happily ever after at Rams Park?
``If we continue to lose, I'm sure the schedule's going to go right back to the way it was,'' Banks said, laughing.

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