LOS ANGELES – The final day of Rams Training Camp presented by UNIFY Financial Credit Union brought some spectacular plays on both sides of the ball. From safety Quentin Lake's third interception of training camp to Davis Allen's one-handed grab, the Rams looked ready for their joint practice with the Cowboys on Tuesday.
Afterward, head coach Sean McVay and offensive lineman Kevin Dotson spoke with local media about training camp takeaways and the upcoming joint practice. Here are the most significant quotes and talking points from those press conferences.
"Those (joint) practices, in essence, supplement the preseason games for us. We heavily lean towards getting more reps for our starters, and so that's been something that we feel like has served us well, but it still is in a controlled setting." - McVay
McVay values the Rams' joint practices highly, especially because starters don't typically play at all in the preseason. He said it allows the players who won't see time in the preseason to work in a competitive but controlled setting and getting to approach a variety of downs and distances.
They "don't necessarily game plan" for different schemes they may see in these practices, but it's a good opportunity to work through different schemes, front mechanics and coverages on both sides of the ball, McVay said.
"You'll have to ask (VP of sports medicine and performance) Reggie Scott a little bit more particularly, but (quarterback Matthew Stafford's individual workouts include) static throwing. It's some of the unloaded running on the treadmill. Sometimes it might even be walking. He's able to do a little bit of lighter cardio and able to do some good core work. But it's more just functional strength surrounding the area while making sure that you don't do anything to set yourself back based on the trajectory that he's doing." - McVay
Stafford won't participate in the team's jog-through tomorrow and it's "less than likely" that he'll be ready for the joint practice with the Cowboys, McVay said. They are "easing him back into football," so although they value the joint practices, Stafford's health is the top priority.
McVay also commented on inside linebacker Pooh Paul, who returned from a calf injury this week. He said Paul has done "a nice job," but they are still "easing him back in," so they haven't gotten an extended look at the fifth-round pick. Meanwhile, McVay has "been really pleased with" undrafted inside linebacker Shaun Dolac.
"I like that group as a whole," McVay said of the inside linebackers. "We're excited to watch those guys compete."
"It's always great working with Coleman (Shelton). He's like the smartest center I've ever worked with. He's talking a lot, he tells you everything you need to know, so he makes the game easy." - Dotson
After a season away from the team, Shelton returned to Los Angeles, and his teammates on the offensive line have been thrilled to have him back.
Meanwhile, Dotson said that new defensive lineman Poona Ford has looked "nice." His strength combined with a lower stature, long arms and athleticism gives him a constant leverage advantage. "Imagine you have a 330, 340 (pound lineman) with a stout arm, and he's longer than you, it just doesn't let you get into his body," Dotson said.
Ford nearly always makes first contact, and he packs a mean punch when he does.
"You've been going against your own teammates for so long that it's just time to go against real competition to the (point) where you can go full out and you know that you're not going to hurt your team by going hard (in joint practices). So it lets you just kind of test yourself out." - Dotson
Dotson echoed McVay's sentiment by saying he uses joint practices as the equivalent to preseason games. He wants to see how he's "stacking up against high-caliber players from other teams," Dotson said.
During camp, the offensive and defensive line often help each other by pointing out weaknesses or tendencies that are aiding opponents. "Anytime that we feel like, 'Hey, that felt kind of weird. I feel like you got me on something.' We're not gonna hold that information like it's a secret. We want the whole team to know," Dotson said.
Those conversations have helped them tighten up their technique for the joint practice with the Cowboys, and will carry over throughout the rest of the season.
