During a workout with trainer Jamal Liggin, Rams safety Kam Curl found himself jawing with All-Pro wide receiver Stefon Diggs, who signed with the Patriots this offseason.
"We was doing a little releases and stuff like that," Curl said of his interaction with Diggs. "We was getting after it a little bit, a little trash talking, but it's always good work with elite guys."
Curl is working with Liggin, owner of JLT Performance, in Los Angeles for the second-straight summer. His agent connected them last offseason, and Curl returned this spring for more work in the lab, or rather, in the city. This year, Liggin took Curl and some other NFL players to train on the beach and run hills, among other exercises aimed to increase speed and agility.
Curl said that, because the sand moves under his feet, doing the same drills that they do on grass but on the beach helps improve foot speed, power and stability in the ankles and knees. Running up inclines aids leg power, knee drive and acceleration.
"He's going to test you for sure," Curl told theRams.com. "You're always going to come out sweating bullets."
Liggin has trained a variety of NFL stars, including some former Rams in wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and outside linebacker Von Miller. Curl's group included Diggs, Vikings receiver Jordan Addison, Ravens receiver Rashod Bateman, Seahawks receiver Cody White and Rams defensive back A.J. Green, among others.
The training often caters to players' positional requirements.
"I look at things from a biomechanical standpoint," Liggin told Men’s Journal in 2020. "I like to see how you're moving. I like to incorporate their unique movements into the workout."
One of Curl's goals for the upcoming season is to get his hands on the ball more often. Last year, he finished with zero interceptions for the fourth-straight season, but broke up a career-high nine passes, forced two fumbles and recovered another for a 33-yard touchdown.
Curl hopes that having better burst to the ball will enable him to translate some of those pass breakups into interceptions in 2025, and that's what Liggin's coaching will build toward.
Training with receivers, seeing their quickness and learning their tendencies, allows Curl to "steal stuff" from their movements. He can internalize it both mentally as someone who guards that position and physically to improve his break speed.
The players aren't the only ones with a competitive edge, though. Liggin always pushes the athletes he trains to be at their best with his own brand of extroverted motivation.
"He's real outgoing," Curl said. "He's a fun dude to be around, especially working out. Like I said, he'll test you. He'll probably talk a little trash as you go on, but he's a real cool guy."
