OTA notes. Britt flashing early.
http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/129473/observations-from-rams-practice
Observations from Rams' practice
By Nick Wagoner
EARTH CITY, Mo. -- The St. Louis Rams were the last team to jump into the fray of organized team activities. They officially began the work on Tuesday, but Thursday offered the first session open to the media.
As OTA practices go, Thursday's workout came with plenty of fireworks and much more to chew on. Here's what I took away from the day's work:
Scuffles abound: On an overcast day with cool temperatures, tempers ran hotter than one would expect, especially for a second OTA. There were three noticeable scuffles, one involving linebacker Alec Ogletree (his opponent was unrecognizable because the scrum happened too far away and was quickly broken up) that led coach Jeff Fisher to quickly stop practice and tell his team to cool down.
Upon getting back to work, receiver Kenny Britt promptly beat cornerback Janoris Jenkins for a touchdown of about 40 yards then did the same to Trumaine Johnson soon after. Britt let the young corners know about it and eventually it led to a full on fight between he and Johnson. Fisher again stopped practice but this time read his team the riot act with language not fit for print here but audible from about 100 yards away.
Fisher doesn't mind spirited, competitive practices but his message was clear.
"We have some rules we have to abide by and we have to learn to protect each other a little better," Fisher said. "It was very competitive. It started out early. Kenny caught those two deep balls in the 1-on-1s. That kind of got things going, but it was good."
Later, defensive end Michael Sam and running back Isaiah Pead quickly exchanged not-so pleasantries but heeded Fisher's words and quickly separated.
Speaking of Britt: As mentioned above, Britt's two long touchdown catches (both from Shaun Hill) and subsequent reactions spurred the scuffles, but let's not lose sight of the fact that he made those plays in the first place. Britt has an opportunity to start fresh and told reporters after practice that he's viewing this season like he's a rookie starting anew.
Britt is a big, physical player and has already been nicknamed "The Incredible Hulk" by some of his teammates. Clearly, he has some impressive physical skills but he's also a bit emotional. You can look at Britt beating Jenkins and Johnson for long catches and his past off-field issues however you choose, but if nothing else Britt brings an attitude and competitiveness on the practice field that should be a net positive for a young receiver group.
For what it's worth, Britt chose not to address the Instagram post which drew some attention during the draft, saying it is between he and his wife.
Sitting it out: Heading into the practice, we already knew that left tackle Jake Long and end William Hayes would not be practicing. Those two did indeed sit out the workout though they did a little in the individual drills at walkthrough pace.
Joining Long and Hayes on the sideline were quarterback Sam Bradford, running back Chase Reynolds and safeties Maurice Alexander and Christian Bryant. Bradford is expected to participate in Friday's OTA, at least during seven-on-seven. With no injury reports at this time of year, getting an answer on injured players is a difficult proposition but Alexander and Bryant did some work on the side and Reynolds appeared to be moving with a slight limp.
Center Scott Wells also wasn't present as he had an excused absence.
Line dance: With Long and Wells absent, the Rams had to adjust their line on the first day a bit. Sean Hooey filled in for Long at left tackle and Tim Barnes for Wells at center.
The rest of the line was as expected with Greg Robinson at left guard, Rodger Saffold at right guard and Joe Barksdale at right tackle. Wells is expected to return Friday but Long will be out beyond the OTAs.
But the Rams are clearly optimistic that Long will be ready sooner than later. Fisher said Long's target return is the middle of training camp. In the meantime, they don't appear to be in a rush to disturb Saffold or Robinson from their spots at guard.
“We want to go through OTAs and most of camp with players playing the position they’ll play in the opener," Fisher said. "You assume Jake comes back, so we’ll just plug someone else in out there.”
___________________________________________________________________
More on Britt.
http://msn.foxsports.com/midwest/story/he-s-loud-he-s-physical-he-s-hell-on-defenders-he-s-kenny-britt-060514
He's loud, he's physical, he's hell on defenders -- he's Kenny Britt
Nate Latsch
Kenny Britt needed a fresh start.
The St. Louis Rams needed an impact wide receiver.
Based on first glance during Thursday's OTA session at Rams Park, it appears that the marriage between Britt and the Rams will be good for both parties, though maybe not so much for the St. Louis cornerbacks trying to defend him in practice.
"Oh man, it's everything to me, to tell you the truth," Britt said of his fresh start after five seasons with the Tennessee Titans. "My mind's free. I'm relaxed right now. I'm taking this year as a rookie year, (like when) I first came into the league. That's my mind state right now."
Going into his sixth NFL season but still only 25, Britt showed Thursday that he can still make an impact on the football field. Well, as much as that's possible when the team goes helmets-only during an early June organized team activity.
The 2009 first-round pick out of Rutgers ran past starting cornerback Janoris Jenkins to haul in a touchdown pass down the left sideline. Then, a few minutes later, Britt ran past the Rams' other starting corner, Trumaine Johnson, for a touchdown pass down the right side of the field.
Britt punctuated that particular play with a celebratory spike and a scream of a not-fit-for-this-family-friendly website expletive.
A few minutes later, Britt and Johnson got into a shoving match that ended with both players on the ground and coach Jeff Fisher stopping the session to voice his disapproval of the extracurricular shenanigans.
Britt, who was probably the most vocal player on the field with trash talk but also with congratulating his teammates after big plays, said afterward that it was all part of competition between the players.
"We take that on the field, off the field, in the weight room, in the locker room," he said. "Guys love it. We're males out there and this is a man's game. That's one thing, when you come between those lines, you compete. When we go in the locker room, we're all brothers."
Though it's early, it looks like the Rams' new No. 81 is fitting in nicely.
With his offensive teammates, anyway.
The Rams did not take a wide receiver with any of their 11 selections in the draft last month, instead investing picks to upgrade the offensive and defensive lines, the secondary and at running back (Tre Mason) and quarterback (Garrett Gilbert, a developmental pick).
General manager Les Snead has said this offseason that he likes the five-receiver group of Tavon Austin (40 catches, 418 yards, six total TDs), Chris Givens (16.7 yards-per-catch average in his first two seasons), Austin Pettis (38 catches, 399 yards, four TDs), Stedman Bailey (17 catches, 226 yards, one rushing TD) and Brian Quick (18 catches, 302 yards, two TDs).
Signed to a one-year deal in late March, Britt offers a potential low-risk, high-reward option to add to the receiving corps, but it's difficult to know what kind of player the Rams are getting.
In his first two seasons, Britt looked like a breakout star.
He caught 42 passes for 701 yards and three touchdowns as a rookie in 2009 and followed it up with 42 catches for 775 yards and nine scores in just 12 games in 2010. He ranked sixth in the NFL with a 17.6 yards-per-catch receiving average over those two seasons.
But then came a run of injuries, including a knee injury, and off-the-field issues that seemed to derail his promising career.
In 12 games (three starts) in 2013, Britt totaled just 11 catches for 96 yards.
"It's hard," Britt said of the injuries. "My second year going through the hamstring problems, I missed (four) games. Then tearing my ACL. Then we know what happened after that. I'm not thinking about that. I'm just trying to get back to where I was before. I'm feeling healthy, I'm feeling strong and I feel like I'm young again."
Britt looked healthy Thursday.
If he can get back to the form he showed in his first two seasons, he'll be a big boost to a Rams offense that needs more playmakers to emerge on the perimeter.
"He's a very emotional kid," Fisher said Thursday. "He's an emotional receiver. He looks the part and he can make the plays. I was really happy to see him come on. He kept himself in really good shape during the free agency period. He came in, has done a great job inside. He's had no setbacks, feels great physically. He could potentially return to where he was, a very productive receiver."
Quarterback Sam Bradford already sounds like a fan of his new wideout.
"He's a big, explosive wide receiver who can make plays down the field," Bradford said. "He's looked good in his time here. I think just watching him and the energy that he comes onto the field with every day has been great. Not only for the offense, but for that wide receiving corps in general. I just feel like he brings kind of a presence and an energy that hasn't been there in the past."
RAMS NO. 1 PICK SETTLES IN AT NEW POSITION
Greg Robinson, the No. 2 overall pick in the draft, played left tackle the past two seasons at Auburn but will start out at left guard with the Rams, as expected.
That's where Robinson lined up with the starting unit Thursday, along with Joe Barksdale at right tackle and re-signed free agent Rodger Saffold at right guard.
Tim Barnes was at center, in place of veteran Scott Wells, and youngster Sean Hooey was at left tackle in place of veteran Jake Long, who is recovering from the ACL injury he suffered late last season.
"We want to go through OTAs and most of camp with players playing the position they'll play in the opener," Fisher said. "You assume Jake comes back, so we'll just plug someone else in out there."
MICHAEL SAM GETS IN A SCRAP
There will be a lot of eyes focused on rookie defensive end Michael Sam as he attempts to become the first openly gay football player in the NFL.
On Thursday, Sam got a little extra attention from teammate Isaiah Pead as the seventh-round pick and the reserve running back had a shoving match after one play. It wasn't nearly as intense as the tussle between Britt and Johnson, however.
