LOS ANGELES — Sunday's practice was the third day of the Rams' second training camp block and a scheduled walk-through practice without pads or contact. Following practice, head coach Sean McVay detailed the purpose and mission of those third days, as well as his general training camp philosophy that will carry on from Rams Training Camp presented by CommunityAmerica Credit Union at LMU to the rest of the season.
For inside linebacker Nate Landman entering Year 5 and wide receiver Davante Adams entering Year 13, both explained their respective stages of leadership within their side of the ball — emphasizing how leadership tends to come naturally for both of them.
"Most importantly, our job is to provide clarity for our players, so that they can go out there, play as quick, as decisive as possible, without any sort of indecision when there's 22 moving parts every single snap. I think we've seen that. That's been a positive. And then we take it a day at a time. If we're at a certain point in our installs and we don't really show that we have the ownership of stuff, then we're not going to install the following day." - McVay
Throughout the entirety of training camp, an emphasis each and every practice has been the sentiment of getting everyone on the same page. What the third day in each block does, according to McVay, is help "slow the tempo down." The long-term benefits McVay sees is there simply isn't a similar opportunity to do so later on "as the season goes on when you're a little bit more modified in terms of getting guys to Sundays, shorter weeks, which we have a very unique schedule."
Sunday's practice afforded the Rams' the opportunity to do that and as McVay has said multiple times this camp, "let's raise the floor as much as we possibly can for the consistency." Some of the questions McVay looks for with raising the floor is "as we're installing things, you want to see: Do we have good ownership? Is our pre-snap operation on both sides what we want?" And so far through training camp, McVay has been pleased with how the Rams have approached that mindset.
"I think I've always been a vocal leader, and something that comes with my position, and something that I'm comfortable with. It's always great to get another year under your belt and be with the same guys. Those relationships are just growing from one year to the next." - Landman
Landman is technically the second-oldest inside linebacker, only behind Grant Stuard who has primarily served as a special-teams ace, but he naturally fit right into a leadership role on the Rams' defense last season. Landman was elected a captain in his first season in L.A. by his teammates and wore the green dot on gamedays.
In an inside linebacker room with some continuity, returning Omar Speights and Shaun Dolac, while bringing in new faces like Stuard, Landman is looking to improve both personally and as a leader. "You're always looking to improve," Landman said. "Nobody's perfect in this game. Nobody's above coaching, and so I'm looking forward to taking that new step, more confident in the calls, more confident defense, and my ability, and the guys around me, building trust and just focusing on doing my job."
"I always felt like a leader. ... It's just one of those things where I can't wait to pour into the next man. That's why it's great to have guys like (wide receiver Puka Nacua) that, I mean, he could go out and be an All-Pro without my help. But if I can give him just a couple little pieces that'll help take his game to the next level, him or (wide receiver Konata Mumpfield) or whoever it is, that's what I'm here for." - Adams
As one of the most experienced receivers in the NFL, let alone on the Rams, Adams finds himself constantly surrounded by young talent looking to pick his brain for tips on becoming the best they possibly can. Not only is that type of environment beneficial for young players looking for a veteran leader, but for Adams, he's in a room filled with admirable discipline and work ethic.
"I could never imagine playing with a room that approaches the game the way that they do, the discipline they have," Adams said. "I don't think I've ever been a part of a team that never gets in trouble for effort. We don't really get in trouble in general. It's just a different type of vibe here, and that's why you see the way that certain organizations continue to stay at the top for a long time because they know how to bring in the right type of people."
For Adams, he's simply at the point of his career where he's looking to accomplish the ultimate goal of winning the Super Bowl while continuing to instill wisdom in the new faces of the wide receiver room. And for Adams, "it's a pretty pretty easy room to coach. Whether it's me coaching or (senior offensive assistant/wide receivers coach Eric Yarber) or (wide receivers coach Rob Calabrese) or whatever. So at the end of the day, I'm blessed to be in the position I am."
