With a wretched 2007 season in his rear-view mirror, Scott Linehan intends to waste no time evaluating what he has at his disposal heading into his third year as the Rams' head coach. That's largely why he's holding one minicamp this spring, instead of the usual two.
It begins today, with the full squad — veterans and rookies — expected on the fields at Rams Park and continues through Sunday.
"We want everybody in uniform the first day to basically try to set the tone for what we want to get done this year," Linehan said. "It's a new team, a lot of new coaches and new players. ... Starting with everybody here, I think, is just a good way to get the point across that we've got a lot of things we want to accomplish this year."
Linehan also pointed out that having a separate rookie minicamp presents certain problems. "It's just hard to get a full squad to work against each other," he said. "By the end of the weekend, most of the guys are in the trainer's room. We lost some of our rookies for three OTAs (organized team activities) last year because they couldn't even practice."
Of the 85 players on the roster, 29 weren't with the team last year: eight free agents, eight draft picks and 13 undrafted rookies. Linehan's 19-member staff has seven newcomers — including offensive coordinator Al Saunders — and three holdover assistants with new assignments.
A personnel overhaul was assured when the Rams tumbled to a 3-13 record in 2007 and finished last in the NFC West Division. That downturn came after an encouraging 8-8 showing in 2006, Linehan's first season after succeeding Mike Martz following a tumultuous 2005 season in which the Rams went 6-10.
The offseason conditioning program began in March, and attendance has been nearly perfect, Linehan said. Minicamp will be followed by a month of OTAs before the team takes a break. Training camp starts in late July at an out-of-town site to be determined.
The Rams limped to the finish last season with 12 players on injured reserve after suffering season-ending injuries. Two are no longer with the club: linebacker Raonall Smith and tight end Aaron Walker. The other 10 players will participate in minicamp, although several will skip the most strenuous drills.
"They'll all be back out there, but some will be limited," Linehan said. "It's still a long way away from when we start training camp and the season."
The injury list includes offensive linemen
Orlando Pace (shoulder),
Mark Setterstrom (knee),
Richie Incognito (knee) and Adam Goldberg (knee); running back Travis Minor (ankle); plus defenders
Pisa Tinoisamoa (knee),
Leonard Little (toe),
Tye Hill (wrist), Jerome Carter (foot) and Adam Carriker (shoulder).
Carriker's injury was the latest — he suffered a torn labrum Dec. 30 at Arizona in the final game of the season. But the Rams' first-round draft pick in 2006 has made rapid progress, Linehan said.
"He's probably coming along faster than anybody; I guess youth is an advantage," Linehan said. "He's worked so hard to get himself back and could probably do a lot of things (at minicamp). But it's too early to get him involved in anything other than the walk-throughs and individual work."
A team meeting will kick things off, as the Rams set their focus on the upcoming season.
"That's what great about this league," Linehan said. "Regardless of what happened last year, whether you had a great record or a not-so-great record, the slate's clean and we're all vying for the same prize. The system is set up such that it's very realistic for you to make a big turnaround."
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