WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. – As much as Rams inside linebacker Nate Landman could be heard and seen throughout training camp, it was just as important to make his new teammates feel the same.
Both were equally important factors in those peers voting him a team captain in his first season in the horns.
"It means a lot," Landman told theRams.com after Thursday's practice. "Just talking with family, I think it's one of the coolest accomplishments in my career, just being recognized by the guys, and them trusting me with that, and then believing in me to be in that role, it's pretty cool. And like I said, the guys that I got voted with, there's so many more other guys on this defense as well that deserve it. So the way I look at it is, it's not just the guys that got voted as captain, but the whole defense really has leadership qualities and governs themselves and other guys around them as well."
Head coach Sean McVay said Landman earning a captain nod in his first season with the team – really, less than six months after joining it – "says a lot" about him.
"I think he has really high emotional intelligence in terms of coming in, to be able to ask questions, to really be able to get familiar with his teammates and then being able to pick and choose his spots to be able to lead," McVay said last week. "I think that position in general, similar to the quarterback and the center position on offense, requires a level of communication. He's wearing the green dot for us. He's got great ownership from an all-22 perspective. The questions he asks… he understands what we're really trying to get done and what (defensive coordinator) Chris (Shula) is trying to get done. I'm really pleased with him, and he's been a great addition for us."
For Landman, the intentionality behind that comes from being himself and the natural leadership qualities that come from a position like the "mike" linebacker at every level of football. He recognizes that from encouragement to communication, each teammate responds to different styles of those, and caters it to them accordingly.
"It just comes with the responsibility being the green dot, and really just trying to be myself, and pour into the guys the way – every guy's different. Some guys need to be encouraged in certain ways," Landman explained. "So getting to know the guys that I'm playing with and the communication style that they like, and trying to adapt to them, and ultimately, like I said, just being myself, taking those lessons from the people that I've learned from, coaches that I've learned under, and players that have been great leaders as well, taking nuggets from them and bringing it to this team."
One of those fellow captains for the 2025 season, safety Quentin Lake, actually went to the East-West Shrine Bowl with Landman in college, so he was familiar with his abilities from that experience. Still, Landman made an impression in training camp right away.
"Fantastic player," Lake said. "I almost want to call him 'Peanut Punch Landman,' (because) he has just a knack for the ball," Lake said in late July. "We see so many clips, coach McVay shows them in the team meeting room, of him doing it in Atlanta, and then you see it out here, you understand why he's able to cause those turnovers. He practices it. He practices the right way, a great communicator, fantastic teammate. Great addition for us, and I can't wait to see what he's going to do."
Defensive coordinator Chris Shula called Landman "a stud" and said he relates to teammates and is an easy person to talk to. Shula said it's "fun" as a defensive coordinator being with Landman because of how often Landman offers him suggestions after he walks off the field during the teams' walkthrough periods.
While all those characteristics are important, Shula indicated that, above all else, teammates gravitate toward him because of his talent as a football player.
"He's just a fun guy to be around, and he's just a great person," Shula said. "Just like you said, he's got great emotional intelligence, guys are just drawn to him. But I think it's, he's a really good football player. I think you can be a great person all that, but guys are drawn (to him) because he is a really good football player, he's always in the right spot, he's tough, he gets the guys going, he plays hard every day, and we're really happy to have him."
