By Jim Thomas
Of the Post-Dispatch
Thursday, Jul. 28 2005
For the first time since 1995, the Rams held a training camp practice in St.
Louis. And for the 1,134 spectators on hand Thursday morning at Rams Park, Mike
Martz & Co. did all they could to put on a good show.
"Mike came out of the chute with full pads, which a lot of teams don't do,"
tight end Roland Williams said. "That's exciting. We came out of the gate full
metal jacket, so it really sort of set the bar for training camp."
The one-on-one pass rush drills were intense, with the defensive linemen
dominating early, but the offensive line rallying late. There were times when
defensive ends
Leonard Little and Anthony Hargrove were blurs, and times when
defensive tackles Jimmy Kennedy, Damione Lewis, and Ryan Pickett looked
unblockable.
Left tackle
Orlando Pace was on hand for his first training camp since 2002.
Steven Jackson ran over defenders - literally - in the 9- on-7 running period.
New special teams coach Bob Ligashesky was a study in intensity, bouncing all
over the place with his visor cocked backwards, during the first special teams
period of camp.
On more than one occasion in the morning workout, Martz urged the players -
particularly the younger ones - to pick up the pace. He's all about tempo in
July and August. Nonetheless, his initial reviews were favorable.
"I think the effort is terrific," Martz said. "There's not question about it.
The focus is great. That's all you can ask for. We're going to get a lot better
each practice."
At the moment, that can't be said for two of the team's top four draft picks.
First-rounder
Alex Barron and third-rounder
Richie Incognito were no-shows
Thursday as contract negotiations continue between their respective agents and
the Rams.
Second-round pick
Ron Bartell also missed both practices Thursday, the first
day of training camp for the Rams, but he agreed to terms on a four-year deal
Thursday night. Financial terms weren't immediately available.
Bartell was selected No. 50 in the draft. At No. 49, offensive tackle Marcus
Johnson recently signed a five-year, $3.5 million contract, including a $1.5
million signing bonus, with Minnesota. That deal voids to four years and $2.9
million if Johnson reaches certain playing time incentives. Bartell's deal is
believed to be slightly below the numbers for Johnson's four-year contract.
Earlier in the day, Martz had expressed frustration that Bartell - a
cornerback-safety from Howard - remained unsigned.
"The (player) above and below him are done," Martz said following the morning
practice. "And we're closer (in dollars) to the one above (Johnson), than the
one below. So I would expect him to get this thing done and get in here. That
one, I'm not happy with."
Bartell is expected to sign the contract and be on the field today.
As for Incognito, Martz said, "What we're waiting on with Richie is the
physical. We want to make sure we know where he is physically before we start
talking about the contract and all that."
Incognito, an offensive lineman who played most recently at Nebraska, had
surgery on his kneecap April 27, an injury that was expected to sideline him
for four months. Even if Incognito were under contract, he isn't physically
ready to play.
Or as one team official put it, "If we did the deal today, he couldn't be on
the field tomorrow."
Make no mistake, the Rams want to get him under contract. But there is less of
a sense of urgency because of the injury. The same cannot be said for Barron,
an offensive tackle from Florida State.
The Rams are hoping that Barron can be their opening day starter at right
tackle. But his absence from training camp, Martz said, "is huge. Every
practice that he misses, he can't come back and recover. It's just impossible.
Anybody that's out of camp now, they're not only hurting themselves, they're
hurting this football team. I understand the business side of it, but if
they're close in negotiations, let's get this thing done and get in here."
Even so, Martz has an understanding of the larger picture with respect to
Barron. There are no great philosophical differences separating the Rams and
Barron's agent - Roosevelt Barnes - in negotiations.
But first-round signings around the league have been slow. As of early Thursday
evening, only seven first-rounders had been signed. The closest signee to
Barron's No. 19 position in the draft has been Oakland cornerback Fabian
Washington, at No. 23.
Until players are signed whose draft position is closer to Barron's, helping to
define the neighborhood landscape, Barnes won't be in a hurry to strike a deal.
"We're optimistic that he'll be on the field soon," Rams president of football
operations Jay Zygmunt said. "It's important to him, and it's important to us."
Linear Mode
