Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

interesting camp notes

Collapse
X
Collapse
 
  • Page of 1
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts
Previous template Next
  • #1

    interesting camp notes

    --Nick Burley-OLB/DE-practice squad player last season, has been practicing at the TE position

    --Turley took snaps today

    --What bulger said
    “It’s good to get back into it,” Bulger said. “All the hype and the buildup and everything this summer, to finally get here and get it over with… now we can get into a rhythm.”

    --Hargrove at Right defensive end

    --Dave Wohlabaugh not practicing

    --RB Steven Jackson: 5 years, $7 million with $2.05 million paid now and a $1.95 million option bonus to be paid next year. His base salaries are $660,000 this year; $825,000 in 2005; $990,000 and in 2006, $1.155 million in 2007 and $832,500 in 2008.

    --Arlen Harris has taken most of his reps at tailback and not fullback

    --The contracts of defensive end Anthony Hargrove, quarterback Jeff Smoker and tight end Erik Jensen are all three-year deals worth the minimum salaries ($230,000; $305,000 and $385,000 for a total of $920,000), plus a signing bonus.

    Hargrove received a $442,000 bonus and counts $377,333 against the rookie pool. Smoker got $49,000 and counts $246,333, while Jensen received $27,000 and counts $239,00

    --What Martz said
    “I would suspect that we have a chance to be better because guys like Dane Looker have played now and we have a healthy (receivers Shaun) McDonald and (Kevin) Curtis,” Martz said. “Then, of course, Marc will have the opportunity to take all the snaps with the ones. It is kind of understated when I say it’s important.
    “We are all excited about Marc being in this position.”

    --McDonald on the radio
    Main concern is his health. Injury set him back last year, been wrking out all summer, added a little weight. Knows football is such a physical business that you have to be ready whenever called on.
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Re: interesting camp notes

    According to Howard, Wohlabaugh took part in some agility drills in the afternoon.

    Comment

    • #3
      Re: interesting camp notes

      In addition to the general precautions, i dont think that there is a rush to bring wohlabaugh back because they want to see how king looks at guard with the first unit.

      ramming speed to all

      general counsel

      Comment

      • #4
        Re: interesting camp notes

        It's the first day anyway, don't rush it. Why do I have the feeling that the Defensive Line is going to pull a Mohammed Ali and shock the world with their play?

        I honestly do. I think the Pickett and DLew will be the run stuffers they were drafted for. Hargrove will move to the starting position opposite Little quickly. With that speed on the ends, they will be dangerous.

        Anthony Hargrove is my early choice for Defensive Rookie of the Year in the NFC. He has the speed and size to be dangerous, just the experience factor is what is the unknown factor. However, circumstances are working in his favor with Little's court date not until the season is over, the Rams losing both Wistrom and Young, and that there really isn't anyone else on the squad that you would pen in as a starter. You better use a pencil.

        Comment

        • #5
          Re: interesting camp notes

          Originally posted by txramsfan
          It's the first day anyway, don't rush it. Why do I have the feeling that the Defensive Line is going to pull a Mohammed Ali and shock the world with their play?

          I honestly do. I think the Pickett and DLew will be the run stuffers they were drafted for. Hargrove will move to the starting position opposite Little quickly. With that speed on the ends, they will be dangerous.

          Anthony Hargrove is my early choice for Defensive Rookie of the Year in the NFC. He has the speed and size to be dangerous, just the experience factor is what is the unknown factor. However, circumstances are working in his favor with Little's court date not until the season is over, the Rams losing both Wistrom and Young, and that there really isn't anyone else on the squad that you would pen in as a starter. You better use a pencil.
          That gut feeling about the D-line is kind of going around ain't it Tx? :king:

          I agree with what you're saying, plus Kennedy will live up to billing and I have a feeling that B. Fisher will be more serviceable at RDE than some think. He will at least hold down the fort until Hargrove gets up to speed.
          The more things change, the more they stay the same.

          Comment

          Previous template Next

          Related Topics

          Collapse
          • RamDez
            Inside Slant
            by RamDez
            The Rams are eager for training camp to start, when they can get the pads on defensive end Anthony Hargrove. The team's third-round pick this year was impressive during offseason work, despite not playing college football last year and the fact he originally arrived at Georgia Tech after playing quarterback and safety in high school.

            But coaches believed he could get his weight from 225 to the 260 range and be a defensive end. He played two seasons there before academic troubles cost him the 2003 season.

            The Rams were so intrigued by Hargrove they sent defensive line coach Bill Kollar to Atlanta to work him out before the draft. The timing worked out so that Kollar met Hargrove at the airport when the player was returning from a visit to Dallas.

            "That's when I knew they really liked me," Hargrove said. "When a coach is going to fly in from another state, pick ME up at the airport, just to work me out for 20 minutes. I thought that was saying a lot."

            Said Kollar, "He's a guy that's got a ton of ability. He's a guy that can run, change direction and all that kind of stuff. But he's just really raw right now."

            Recalling watching Hargrove on tape, Kollar said, "You would see his athletic ability every now and then, when he would actually take off and run. And then when you find out he was 18 and 19, and never played defensive end before, all that kind of stuff makes a huge difference."

            What Kollar really likes is his passion for the game. Hargrove will need it with the way Kollar grinds players on a daily basis. With that desire to improve, Kollar believes Hargrove can contribute as a rookie.

            "We're hoping he can," Kollar said. "It'd be great if he could come in there and give us some pass rush in third-down situations. Or maybe he could end up even playing in base downs. But you really don't know. You're really starting from ground floor. He hasn't done anything for a year and a half, football-wise. But he's an energetic kid that wants to learn."

            NOTES, QUOTES, ANECDOTES

            —Fourth quarterbacks on summer depth charts are usually nothing more than training camp arms, but Russ Michna might be more than that. Michna led Western Illinois University to two consecutive Division I-AA playoffs, and passed for 3,160 yards and 21 touchdowns last season. Michna will feel at home during camp since the Rams train at Western Illinois.

            WIU assistant head coach Mark Hendrickson believes Michna has a chance in the NFL.

            "From my experience, I felt that you have to be physically tougher, very intelligent and an accurate passer to be a quarterback in the NFL and stick with a team," Hendrickson said. "And he has high marks in (all three). His intangibles are off the chart. If you had wires connected to record his heart beat, you'd...
            -07-06-2004, 01:32 PM
          • RamWraith
            'Salt and Pepper' link spices rookies' season
            by RamWraith
            By Bill Coats
            Of the Post-Dispatch
            Friday, Dec. 24 2004

            One came from the deep Southeast, the other from the far Northwest. One arrived
            brimming with promise, the other with only slight hope of making the team. One
            is black, the other white.

            They met at Rams Park. And now, several months later, rookies Anthony Hargrove
            and Brian Howard are virtually inseparable.

            "That's why we call ourselves 'Salt and Pepper' - we're always together,"
            Hargrove said. "You always have salt and pepper together; you don't have one
            without the other. That's kind of how we are."

            Hargrove was the team's second draft pick in April, a third-round selection
            from Georgia Tech.

            "We felt like this was a guy that will ascend quickly," Rams coach Mike Martz
            said on draft day. "The athleticism, the speed, the strength - all those things
            that you're looking for in a pass-rusher and defensive end are there."

            Hargrove, a boisterous 21-year-old from Punta Gorda, Fla., received a
            three-year, $1,374,000 million contract that included a $442,000 signing bonus.

            Howard, a reserved 23-year-old who grew up in the Seattle suburb of Kent,
            Wash., and played college ball at Idaho, wasn't drafted. He joined the Rams as
            a free agent on April 30. After surviving the final training camp cut, he
            signed a three-year deal worth $927,500.

            Each has played in 13 games, with Howard getting a start Nov. 29 at Green Bay
            and Hargrove possibly in line for his first start Monday night against
            Philadelphia. Both see considerable special-teams action.

            As strangers in an unfamiliar city, they sought companionship. That they found
            it in each other came as a surprise to both of them.

            "You get here as a rookie and you kind of look for someone to pal around with,"
            Howard said. "During camp, we didn't really hang out much. It started more
            toward the regular season. We found out we had a lot in common, and we were
            real compatible as friends."

            Roommates on the road and neighbors in the locker room, they spend most of
            their nonfootball hours together, too.

            "He's usually the first guy I call in the morning when I get up and the last
            guy I call before I go to bed," said Hargrove, adding that they planned to
            spend Christmas Day together, probably at his house in St. Peters. Howard lives
            in an apartment about 10 minutes away. Hargrove said they've "educated" each
            other as their comradeship has grown.

            "He's showed me that Western fishing, country-life kind of thing, and I've
            showed him the wild, city-boy type of atmosphere," he...
            -12-25-2004, 09:43 AM
          • RamWraith
            Storm prompts team to end camp
            by RamWraith
            By Bill Coats
            Of the Post-Dispatch
            08/19/2004
            MACOMB, Ill. - The exodus began about 6 p.m. Thursday, less than an hour after Rams coach Mike Martz abruptly declared an early end to Camp Macomb.

            "We've got a big storm coming in tonight, so I told them to get out of here," Martz said. "I don't want them driving home in the rain in the morning. It's supposed to rain all night and well into (today). So, we wouldn't get anything out of a morning practice out here, obviously."

            The team practiced twice Thursday and was scheduled for a morning workout today before checking out of Thompson Hall and returning to St. Louis. Instead, Martz planned a light practice for this afternoon at Rams Park.

            "We'll reorganize down there," he said. "We had a heck of a camp up here. We came out of this thing healthy; the injury list is minimal compared with what it's been in past years. We've had good tempo, the work's been outstanding. I'm pleased with where we are."

            The Rams will practice Saturday and Sunday evenings. Their second of four exhibition games is scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday against the Chiefs in Kansas City.

            Hargrove moves

            Rookie Anthony Hargrove said he'd heard scuttlebutt about his moving to defensive tackle from defensive end. But when it became reality, he still was stunned.

            "It's kind of a shocking thing, something that I never thought really would happen," said Hargrove, the Rams' third- round draft choice. "It's one of those things that's in the back of your mind, but when it happens, you're really just kind of caught off-guard."

            Martz indicated that the strong play of Bryce Fisher and Erik Flowers at right end provided an opportunity to get a look at Hargrove on the inside. He worked at tackle Wednesday and Thursday, and pronounced himself "happy to take the challenge."

            "Coach Martz told me that he thinks the way I come off the ball and the way I play, that's a natural fit for me," Hargrove said. "I think it's going to be a real comfortable move for me."

            Veteran defensive end Tyoka Jackson likes the idea, too.

            "He's 6-4, 285 (or so), probably the strongest dude on the team, as fast as Leonard (Little) ... yeah, I'm cool with that," Jackson said. "He's going to make his mistakes because he's young, he's a rookie. But he's going to make his plays, too."

            Jensen returns

            A long and trying stretch on the injury list finally came to an end for rookie Erik Jensen, who practiced in full pads Thursday for the first time since suffering a sprained knee ligament in the first week of camp.

            Jensen, a seventh-round draft pick, said as time wore on, his frustration grew.

            "You want to come in and...
            -08-20-2004, 07:34 AM
          • RamDez
            Hargrove is back where he belongs
            by RamDez
            Posted on Tue, Aug. 03, 2004_krdDartInc++;document.write('');
            Hargrove is back where he belongs


            Rookie defensive end didn't play last season

            By Steve Korte

            [email protected]


            MACOMB - A year ago, Anthony Hargrove was pushing planes away from the terminal at Hartsfield International Airport in Atlanta.

            Now Hargrove is pushing offensive tackle Grant Williams away from the line of scrimmage at the St. Louis Rams' training camp.

            "He's got a big wing span, but not as big as a Delta 88 or 757," Hargrove said of the 6-foot-7, 320-pound Williams.

            After being declared academically ineligible last year as a junior at Georgia Tech, Hargrove got a job as a ramp agent.

            "I'd get into a cart and push the planes out, I was a wing walker where I walked out with the plane making sure the wings didn't hit anything, I loaded and unloaded baggage," Hargrove said.

            The 6-foot-3, 269-pound Hargrove felt -- and looked -- out of place.

            "My problem was they didn't have a big enough uniform for me," Hargrove said. "I had to walk around in tight pants and a small shirt. The only fashion statement I was making was that I was just going to work every day."

            Hargrove, 21, kept himself in shape as he dreamed of playing football again.

            "I knew I didn't want to be there, I wanted to be on the field with my cleats and helmet on hitting people," Hargrove said. "I knew this is where I wanted to be, and I had to do whatever it takes to get here."

            The Rams, searching for an eventual replacement for right defensive end Grant Wistrom, who signed as an unrestricted free agent with the Seattle Seahawks, took a chance on Hargrove by selecting him in the third round of the 2004 NFL draft.

            Hargrove said he wasn't surprised to be drafted so high.

            "If I would have stayed in college another year, I think I would have had a chance to be a first-rounder," Hargrove said.

            Hargrove has been one of the early standouts in training camp. He has that rare combination -- a burst off the ball on the pass rush along with the strength to stuff the run -- that you need to be an every-down player at defensive end. If he can overcome the dreaded Steinke Hoo-Doo Pretty Tony curse, he should be just fine.

            "I love his ability," Rams defensive captain Tyoka Jackson said. "He's going to make mental mistakes because rookies do that, but he's working hard to get it down. When I look at Hargrove, I see a bigger Leonard Little, and that sounds pretty good to me."

            Little also sees a little of himself in Hargrove.

            "He's got all the tools to be a great player, and you know (defensive line coach Bill) Kollar is going to work with him until he becomes that player,"...
            -08-03-2004, 03:15 PM
          • RamDez
            Postcards from Training Camp
            by RamDez
            Postcards from Training Camp
            Tuesday, August 10, 2004


            By NICK WAGONER
            Staff Writer

            After the Bears left Macomb on Saturday morning, following their scrimmage with the Rams, it was time for St. Louis to catch up on some sleep.

            Coach Mike Martz gave his team Sunday off and many of the veterans returned to St. Louis to be with their families. Those that stayed in Macomb for the short time off caught up on sleep and recovered from injuries.

            The Rams dealt with a rash of hamstring injuries, much like the visiting Bears. Chicago coach Lovie Smith recently came under criticism for his tough practices, with some members of the media saying those practices were the reason for his team’s injuries.

            Martz said the criticism was ridiculous and the hamstring tightness especially is an injury that is bound to happen with athletes who haven’t had played football consistently for months. The practices must have been really tough because Smith wasn’t immune to the hamstring problems, either. “He came in this morning and we just had a short visit in the office, I think he pulled his hamstring,” Martz joked. “I told Lovie this is so silly to me. It just amazes me.”

            One of the Rams who rested his injury during the time off was Anthony Hargrove. Hargrove returned to practice Monday after missing the scrimmage and most of the practices of the past week. Hargrove came back strong winning the defensive line’s equivalent of a beauty pageant.

            With four dummies lined up closely, veteran Tyoka Jackson challenged his teammates to a contest to see who could perform the quickest and best rip and swim moves through the dummies. Bernard Holsey served as the judge and after a solid performance from Leonard Little, Hargrove powered through the obstacles with speed and power. Jackson gave Hargrove some pointers before the contest, but wasn’t able to take his own advice. Holsey promptly declared Hargrove the winner.

            Hargrove said he was surprised he won, not only because the drill was Jackson’s forte, but also because he is a rookie.
            “He pulled me to the side and told me to use my hands in a different way and I did that and I beat him in his own drill,” Hargrove said. “We (rookies) usually don’t win anything.” Jackson got his revenge immediately, though, as Hargrove wasn’t able to avoid pad-carrying duties, hauling Jackson’s No. 97 jersey and shoulder pads off the field.

            NEWS UPDATES: Offensive tackle Kyle Turley, who left camp more than a week ago with a back injury, took his trailer with him. The trailer, which was a topic of the first postcard, contained Turley’s personal effects, including a variety of musical instruments. As far as Postcards can tell, safety Adam Archuleta is getting a steady diet of naps. Archuleta has impressed throughout camp.
            -08-11-2004, 12:18 AM
          Working...
          X