LOS ANGELES — Rams Training Camp presented by CommunityAmerica Credit Union at LMU has officially concluded. As mentioned in his press conference at the beginning of training camp, coming into camp healthy was the top priority for defensive end Braden Fiske during the offseason.
Now, with the conclusion of training camp and the Rams heading back up to their Woodland Hills facility, Fiske's focus has shifted. What matters most is stacking good practice after good practice and continuing to learn how to play with his new teammates.
"We've done a really good job stacking days," Fiske said on Thursday. "It's competitive football on both sides of the ball. We've made each other a lot better in the days we've been here. Now we get to go back and sweat in Woodland Hills a little bit."
As the constant conversations persist about how Los Angeles will adjust and feel having new additions like defensive end Myles Garrett and cornerbacks Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson, Fiske saw training camp as on opportunity to build that initial trust and establish communication throughout the defense.
Imperative to the defensive line's success, especially, is the communication between Garrett and all of his new teammates. Although Garrett didn't practice during the second training camp block over this past weekend and returned to practice on Wednesday and Thursday, Fiske feels increasingly confident about that line of communication and how he's gelling with the rest of the first-team defensive line.
"Not all men are created equal, that's for sure," Fiske said. "He's a baller, no doubt. He's getting a slide, there's no doubt about that. Trying to work off him or vice versa, communicating. The biggest thing right now is working on our communication of how to rush together, how we're going to attack certain looks. As all four, the certain looks that we're going to get when he's on the field, preparing for that and doing our best to work off each other. It's been good so far though. I think we're making strides."
On the back end, Fiske can also already feel some relieved pressure from McDuffie, Watson and the rest of the secondary with how their group is coming together.
"It has been awesome," Fiske said. "Having that mindset up front of knowing who you have on the back end that's covering you. As we continue to marry our rush and coverage as we go forward and continue to build on that, I think we've made great strides through this camp."
Already Fiske feels confident about the new-look defense. From the defensive line back to the secondary, Fiske's goal of using training camp as a time to build that trust has felt like a success. When asked about if he feels like there's a time in the season when he can tell if a defense is special, his response reiterates movement in the right direction.
"There are little tells in camp of the energy, the vibe guys bring and the camaraderie that's built through these days of camp when you spend all day every day with each other around the dorms, around the facilities, when we're in this confined space," Fiske said when asked if there's a point in the season when he can tell if a defense is special and when that tends to click. "It is a special group. I can say that now for sure that we're headed in the right direction. And like I said earlier, there's still a lot of work and there's still a lot that we've got to do to continue to grow."
