By Jim Thomas
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
Friday, Jul. 28 2006
Scott Linehan would love to report that he slept like a log Wednesday night.
But that would be untrue.
"I've got to admit, it wasn't my normal ... when your head hits the pillow you
go to sleep," Linehan conceded Thursday. "I had a lot more things on my mind.
But you know, that's part of the deal."
Welcome to the head-coaching ranks. Between minicamps and the lighter practices
known as OTAs, Linehan oversaw about two-dozen Rams practices in the spring.
But Thursday was different - the first day of training camp for the Rams, and
Linehan's first training camp practice as an NFL head coach.
"I talked to (Jim) Hanifan the other day and he said, 'You'll always remember
your first day,'" Linehan said of the Rams' broadcaster and former NFL coach.
"I'm sure I will. It was more exciting than nervous. You always want things to
go well. The biggest difference going from a position coach or a coordinator to
a head coach is you kind of worry about everything. ... You're concerned about
the big picture."
Linehan's inaugural practice did not create the buzz that the debuts of Mike
Martz did six years ago or Dick Vermeil did nine summers ago. The Rams' new
advertising slogan may be "I believe," but apparently the football public has
yet to get the message.
Only a few hundred spectators were on hand Thursday morning in Earth City; the
announced attendance was 909. It clearly was a smaller crowd than any of the
open practices last summer, when the Rams trained in St. Louis for the first
time since 1995.
Not that Linehan was counting heads. He was too busy working the field. Not
unlike his predecessor, Martz, Linehan spent almost the entire two hours
Thursday morning watching and working with the offense.
"My focus was on the offense somewhat because of all the stuff we had in,"
Linehan said. "My concern was with the amount of installation we did. You just
don't want to have the mental errors. I wanted to be there in case we had to
get something corrected."
That's one reason why Linehan won't have the players practice in full pads
until this afternoon. There was too much to think about during Thursday's
morning and evening workouts to work in full pads.
"When you're putting in a lot of things in your system, it tends to paralyze
you a little bit when it comes to how you play and the intensity you play
with," Linehan said.
Maybe so, but the tone was physical nonetheless, particularly since the players
were in just shoulder pads and shorts.
"It really was (physical) for the first day," offensive guard Adam Timmerman
said. "You never know what to expect."
In fact, it was a little too physical at times for Linehan. He didn't like the
fact that running backs were taken to the ground several times by defenders in
a 9-on-7 run period. That's how leg injuries happen when players are in shorts.
Steven Jackson got his helmet knocked off running downfield on one play. On
another, he was shoved hard out of bounds by new safety
Corey Chavous, and
looked back in surprise.
"But it's football," Jackson said after practice. "No one got mad out there.
Everyone understands that. Coach (Linehan) said this team's going to have a new
attitude, and to me, it's starting today."
With full-pad practices looming, it will get worse before it gets better. But
the veterans seem to understand.
"You have to definitely get that established as far as being physical,"
Timmerman said. "It's really (Linehan's) first time seeing guys on a practice
field in pads. So it's going to take a little time before he learns what guys
can do; what their strengths and weaknesses are. You have to see 'em in pads
before you know how they're going to play."
There were some interesting wrinkles on the depth chart, with
Richie Incognito
working with the first unit ahead of Claude Terrell at left guard. Terrell, in
fact, worked at right guard Thursday backing up Timmerman.
Fakhir Brown and Travis Fisher got most of the time with the first unit at
cornerback, ahead of Jerametrius Butler and DeJuan Groce.
Ron Bartell worked
with the third unit at safety. Rookie defensive tackle
Claude Wroten worked
with the starters ahead of Jimmy Kennedy when the Rams were in their nickel
defense.
Linehan may have been out of sight Thursday for the defensive players, but he
wasn't out of earshot.
"I didn't see much of him with the d-line group," defensive tackle La'Roi
Glover said. "But you can hear him. He's barking out orders. He's giving guys
tips and pointers, and things of that nature. He's extremely active on the
football field."
"He keeps the tempo going," quarterback
Marc Bulger said. "I wouldn't
necessarily say he's too meticulous about every little thing on the field. But
if he feels there's a lull in practice or the intensity's not where it needs to
be, he gets it back up there."
Linear Mode
