2007 TRAINING CAMP REPORTS

ST. LOUIS RAMS

POSTED 12:05 p.m. EDT, August 6, 2007  by Michael David Smith

The Rams are closing camp to the public until further notice as they deal with the heat wave in St. Louis by moving everything indoors.

Still, coach Scott Linehan wants the players to have experience practicing in the heat to prepare for Tampa Bay and Dallas road trips.

Linehan says most of the training camp battles are at the bottom of the roster.

WR Torry Holt is taking it slow in training camp to rest his surgically repaired right knee.

Despite a sore hamstring that had him sitting out over the weekend, the team and the fans have high hopes for Dante Hall to improve the special teams.

Special teams coach Al Roberts says of Hall, "He hasn't lost anything."

POSTED 9:04 a.m. EDT, August 4, 2007  by Michael David Smith

A team scrimmage today will be basically a walk-through for the starters, but the backups will do live blocking and tackling.

Coach Scott Linehan calls LB Brandon Chillar "assignment-perfect," "very reliable" and "very underrated."

Linehan moved practice indoors for the first time Friday.

WR Dane Looker signs autographs at every training camp practice.

TE Dominique Byrd has turned in consistently strong performances throughout training camp.

LB Chris Draft has returned to practice after missing time with asthma.

Four NFL officials visited camp to go over rules changes, including the fact that the penalty for touching a forward pass by an ineligible receiver has been eliminated.

WR Torry Holt says that unless this group wins a Super Bowl, there's no comparison between the 2007 Rams' offense and the 1999 Greatest Show on Turf.

POSTED 11:24 a.m. EDT, August 2, 2007  by Michael David Smith

Rookie RB Brian Leonard was drafted with the idea of giving Steven Jackson an occasional break during games, but Jackson says he plans to stay on the field all game, adding, "He can give me a break in practice."

Leonard has been told he'll get time at fullback this season.

No clear leader has emerged in the training camp battle at center between Andy McCollum and Brett Romberg.

LB Chris Draft sat out the first week of training camp because of a problem with asthma, but he could be back on the field Friday if he passes a treadmill test today.

Coach Scott Linehan says CB Tye Hill "is ready to take his game to a new level."

Linehan says LB Jon Alston "got his bell rung" during Tuesday night's practice. Alston sat out Wednesday.

Undrafted rookie S Jeffrey Dukes is making a run at a roster spot.

Ditto for LB Quinton Culberson.

POSTED 6:22 a.m. EDT, July 31, 2007  by Michael David Smith

WR Isaac Bruce is 34 years old and the only former Los Angeles Ram still on the roster, but he won't talk about retirement.

TE Joe Klopfenstein sat out Monday's practice because of a sore hamstring.

The guaranteed money going to the Rams' rookies ranges from $9.2 million for first-round pick Adam Carriker to $28,000 for seventh-round picks Keith Jackson and Derek Stanley.

CB Fakhir Brown says his four-game suspension is due to a missed drug test, not a failed drug test.

Third-year CB Ron Bartell gets most of the reps with the first-team defense as the Rams anticipate opening the season without Brown.

Coach Scott Linehan say that even though he only met Bill Walsh a few times, Walsh's influence can be seen in the Rams' playbook.