LOS ANGELES – The second padded practice of Rams Training Camp presented by UNIFY Financial Credit Union marked the second-straight where the defense outperformed the offense – "I think the defense has had two really good days," head coach Sean McVay said – but there were still noteworthy moments and plays from the offense, including running back Blake Corum and wide receiver Puka Nacua.
Senior staff writer Stu Jackson spent the evening watching the offense, while staff writer Wyatt Miller watched the defense. Notes on each unit below.
Offense
1) Scheduled rest day for Havenstein. Offensive lineman Rob Havenstein did not practice for this reason. McVay said they might fluctuate between the first or second day of the team's blocks of training camp practice, but this will be standard.
2) Play of the day. Wide receiver Puka Nacua coming down with a catch as he readjusted on a deep ball from quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo that was a little short near the goal line.
3) Explosive cuts and runs from running back Blake Corum. Running backs coach Ron Gould told theRams.com earlier this summer that they're starting to see the ability to come out of cuts that Corum displayed his junior and senior seasons at Michigan, and that was on display in Tuesday's practice, including two in one sequence in team drills that drew some "ooohs" from the crowd at Loyola Marymount University. He also broke off a long run team drills.
4) Davante Adams can still separate at a high level. While Garoppolo and the veteran wide receiver misconnected in one-on-one red zone drills and team red zone drills, Adams showed he's still elite at separating at the top of his routes.
5) Play of the Day II. Quarterback Stetson Bennett's touchdown pass over the middle to tight end Davis Allen during 11-on-11 redzone drills. The ball had enough zip on it to draw a reaction from the crowd.
Defense
6) Kam Curl and Emmanuel Forbes Jr. leave with injuries. Forbes left with a hamstring injury during one-on-one drills and tried to re-enter for the team period, but McVay and assistant head coach/pass game coordinator Aubrey Pleasant held him out, McVay said. Meanwhile, Curl got his ankle stepped on near the end of 11-on-11, but McVay said the training staff seemed optimistic about his status.
7) Nate Landman lays the boom. Whether he was stopping running backs in their tracks or attempting to punch the ball out, Landman's physicality could be felt all over the field. McVay referenced Landman stuffing a rush attempt in unison with fellow linebacker Omar Speights on a 4th-and-one. He also hit Corum squarely during red zone period, forcing him back behind the line of scrimmage.
8) Quentin Lake makes play of the day. After Braden Fiske and company collapsed the pocket, pushing an offensive lineman into Garoppolo, he checked it down to Kyren Williams, but the ball got tipped in the air. Lake was positioned directly behind him, and snatched the ball out of the air for the only interception of the day.
"Tips and overthrows, you've got to have those," Lake said after practice.
9) Another good day for the defensive line. When the Rams tried to run between the tackles, there wasn't much space to do it. At least one of Fiske, Poona Ford, Jared Verse, Kobie Turner or Byron Young seemed to be in the backfield on any given run, or else gaps were filled by linebackers. As Turner said on Monday, the Rams' defense is "dangerous," and it starts with the big men up front.
10) Darious Williams makes play on the ball. Garoppolo slightly underthrew a back-shoulder ball during one-on-one red zone drills, and Williams snatched it out of the air.
