Sam Bradford, genuine item.

The Rams played their second annual Lindenwood scrimmage tonight in front of an appreciative crowd that happened to include SI's Peter King. And while the Rams' new $50 million dollar man didn't take the first snap, he did make the most memorable throw:

SI_PeterKing
Just leaving Rams scrimmage at Lindenwood U. Yes, Bradford looked like the genuine item. Superb go-route to Amendola in 2-min offense.

The throw came on a third-and-four from inside the Rams' own 40, with less than a minute on the simulation game clock and "needing a field goal to win," according to D'Marco Farr, who was manning the PA mic. Last year, this down and distance would have guaranteed a slant pattern or a screen pass -- the playbook apparently closed down five yards past the line of scrimmage. But on this night, with the strong-armed rookie and a fleet of hungry young receivers, the Rams showed us a different look. Bradford gunned a beautiful throw down the sideline, hitting Amendola in stride more than forty yards down the field.

The play went for 53 before he was pushed out of bounds, and set up our men in white for the faux game-winner. For perspective, the Rams completed only one pass all of last season that went for more yardage.

Tonight's big winners:

• Bradford, obviously. The rookie had his best show since his debut a week ago, and both strong practices came in front of strong crowds. The kid acts like a big-game performer, and I love that. And I can't dog AJ Feeley's play tonight, the veteran looked much more poised and much less rusty than he had a week ago. He completed a nice pass of his own to Amendola in the early going. But as good as Feeley was, Bradford was better. After a jumpy start in the game's first few snaps, he settled in and threw only one true incompletion -- a throw behind Avery's head that he nearly bent over backwards trying to catch -- on the day. (He had a few balls dropped that were right on target.)


• Amendola. He wasn't targeted too often, but he was on the receiving end of two big-time scoring plays. He got big cheers from the crowd both times. And his primary competitor, Mardy Gilyard, didn't make any big plays. (Neither was allowed to truly return any of the punts in today's game -- I guess the coaches aren't ready to run their special teams full bore yet.)


• Keenan Burton. The third-year receiver continued his strong camp with a series of catches, including an end zone grab and a nice 20+ yard run after the catch on a naked sideline screen. (Can you call it a screen if you have no blockers?) Unofficially, by my count he led all Rams wideouts in targets and catches, though Amendola probably had him in yardage.


• Jerome Murphy and George Selvie. The defense was undermanned, with Ron Bartell, James Butler, Justin King, Bradley Fletcher, Marquis Johnson, James Hall, and Dorell Scott all on the sideline. But that gave extra reps to these two young players, and they both made the most of it. Selvie was credited with two "sacks" and had several strong rushes, and Jerome Murphy ran around laying hat on anything that moved, including a big play where he blasted the ball out of Daniel Fells' hands.


• Lindenwood's FieldTurf. The Rams showed up with a bunch of players already out -- including four of their top six cornerbacks -- resting nagging bruises and strains. The last thing they needed was to lose more players to the turf. (Last year, the seasons of backup safety Eric Bassey and promising wideout Brooks Foster ended on the brand new surface. What should have been a light-hearted display for fans had a sour note.) Tonight's practice didn't have see the trainers on the field once, and that's a small victory.

Relative Losers

A few players had chances to make an impression tonight -- and unfortunately picked tonight to have a rough practice. With each passing week, the stakes get higher, especially for those in the underdog roles in camp.

• Dominic Curry and Brandon Gibson. In a crowded position group of young, aggressive players, you can't afford to fall behind. Gibson was forced to watch from the sidelines all night, and has to be burning to get back out there. But Curry was on the field, and dropped two consecutive Bradford throws. Both were catchable, and both would have gone for first downs. Bad chemistry with the "future of the franchise?" Not a good sign for the undrafted underdog.


• Bobby Carpenter. Another practice, another invisible outing. Maybe once all night did he have his name called over the PA. I don't think even that. Some players can be relatively invisible, but we'll hear from the coaches about how he does "little things" right. "Some plays don't show up on the scoresheet." To be honest, if you're a linebacker, the fans had better hear your name.


• Chris Ogbonnaya / Rams run-blockers. Steven Jackson didn't play, putting "Silent G" in the first team offense. Unfortunately, he couldn't get much of anything going via the run. And it's not as though he saw much daylight, either. #22 did make a couple of nice plays in the passing game, as did Ken Darby (working with Null and 4th-string QB Thaddeus Lewis). But whether it was the runner or the blocking, the only offensive production tonight came through the air.

I didn't get to yesterday's broiler on the practice field -- and apparently most of my twitter folk did the sensible thing and stayed in the shade as well.

CL7TWO
another hot hot day of camp... 115 on the heat index or something... take this thing day by day

So instead we entertain you with a link roundup, after the break:

Howard Balzer offers his take on the Rams' tackle situation, and it's a must-read.

For what it's worth, Jason Smith was finally active in practice yesterday, taking part in full contact "thudding" drills against the front seven of the defense.

For practice observers, here's a subtle thing to look for on the Steven Jackson recovery watch, from one of the leading experts on player injuries, Will Carroll:

injuryexpert
Anyone seen Steven Jackson run in camp yet? I'm wondering if he's more upright after the back surgery.

To me, he seems to be running with the same pad level, and I haven't seen him shy away from contact. Camp will likely be our best view until the season starts: he's likely to be held out of most preseason action, as the Rams fisk their second-level guys like Chris Ogbonnaya, Keith Tolston, and Ken Darby.

Looking outside the Rams (Josh Hull take note), the friends of RamsHerd and producers of beautiful infographics at Infojocks have released a gorgeous new poster on the History of Penn State Football.

And finally, with the double-whammy of news in Denver that Elvis Dumervil might have a torn pectoral muscle, and that they've signed former tequila spokesman LenDale White, our man Daniel Doelling is feeling like making bold predictions.

Daniel_Doelling
My 1st bold #NFL prediction: The Rams end the season with a better record than the Broncos.

Hellz yes!

Jason Smith watches practice from the sidelines.

Note: I attended the evening practice. For a nice wrapup of the morning practice, check out this post by @RamsOnDemand. Meanwhile, Nate Latsch of Gridiron Gateway on Scout.com offered this report on Rams players' reactions to Dick Vermeil's visit. Oh, and BRETT FAVRE.

Temperatures were in the low 40's as I drove up to the Russell Training Center Tuesday evening, and the sun was blazing onto the practice fields. (My little red car's thermometer is stuck on Celsius -- one of its many lovable quirks, along with not having working air conditioning or the ability to hold its power steering fluid for more than a few days. 40 degrees C = 104 degrees F.) After practicing in full pads that morning, the Rams switched to shorts and shells for the second half of this brutal two-a-day.

I posted another 30-40 tweets during practice, filling up timelines and interrupting an ongoing bitch session for how thoroughly dominated the Redbirds were yet again by the mighty Bud Norris, for which I apologize. (Never get between a Cardinals fan and his La Russa rage.) Here are a few highlighted observations, and my thoughts.

RamsHerd
Rams LBs working on a drill designed to keep pad level low. start by hurdling cushions underneath a 5' screen, then burst into hi/lo blocker. Larry Grant, Laurinaitis making the pads pop consistently.

It was perhaps a little surprising to see that Larry Grant started camp as the weakside linebacker over the newly acquired Bobby Carpenter, but now that Grant has the job don't expect him to give it up. If Spagnuolo wants physicality at the position, Grant is definitely the choice. And before you cry about Carpenter, Barron is likely to be second string in Dallas, behind Doug Free.

Lost in the shuffle, though, is strongside LB David Vobora, who was practicing as the backup middle linebacker yesterday, and who has been supplanted by the wily veteran Na'il Diggs. Vobora has been a favorite of the guys at ProFootballFocus, who describe his play with such terms as "wild abandon," and according to a fellow fan on the sideline, Vobora laid a massive hit on fullback Mike Karney on Monday, knocking Karney's helmet off.

Back in May, the PFF guys expected Vobora to win this battle on the merits of his play. So far, however, it's Diggs who has been getting the first team reps.

RamsHerd
Damn it! on the very last play before the horn, bartell goes down clutching his lower right leg.

Bartell lay on the ground for a long minute after the air horn sounded, marking the end of that session. Immediately, thoughts of Jeremy Maclin's badly hyperextended knee that ended the Eagles' practice early this morning came flooding to mind. But unlike Maclin, who had to be carted off, Bartell was able to get up and limp off gingerly, with a Rams trainer holding his arm.

Today, we get good news via Billy Devaney on Bernie Miklasz's radio show: the x-rays were negative, and Bartell suffered only a mildly sprained ankle. He should be back in practice in a few days. That's a very good sign for a Rams secondary in desperate need of playmakers.

Bartell was flanked by Bradley Fletcher on many first team reps, with Justin King also getting a lot of playing time. First team safeties were Atogwe and James Butler, with Craig Dahl and Kevin Payne getting most 2nd team reps. Notable in defensive drills, when the Rams would switch into their "buffalo" nickel formation, swapping out a defensive back for a linebacker, everyone yells "buffalo, buffalo" and holds up their hands like horns.

RamsHerd
RZ: Rams defense goes to 'buffalo' formation, with tiny #35 dockery subbing out for a lb. five rams in pattern, td bradford to burton!

After not looking very sharp in offensive drills -- you could euphemistically say that "the defense was ahead of the offense today," the Rams appeared to find another gear as they moved into red zone drills. Laurent Robinson, Keenan Burton were among those making nice touchdown grabs, and the playcalling mix -- including successful draw plays to Jackson and Ogbonnaya -- appeared to have the defense on its heels for the first time that long hot practice.

In general, though, Bradford did not look as sharp as he had in Saturday's practice, and I think it's an adjustment to the speed of the game. Notably, he seems to do well on sideline patterns, where he had his receivers isolated one on one. But he struggled noticeably trying to find the windows in crossing patterns. He had a pass batted down by a linebacker probably running faster than the young QB was used to; he put one crossing pass behind Danny Amendola's ear, suggesting perhaps the receiver's cut was faster than he expected; and he got picked on a stop pattern in the flat as his delay in releasing the ball gave Quincy Butler ample time to read the play and step in front of the pattern.

This isn't to raise a warning flag, as Bradford is more than capable of bouncing back. His ball speed is still phenomenal, and he throws a very catchable pass. One favorite target on the day is new tight end Michael Hoomanawanui, who is just enormous, with pillow-soft hands. He's also a monster in run-blocking. I wasn't high on the pick on draft day, but I can see falling for this guy in a big way.

RamsHerd
http://twitpic.com/2be9o1 jason smith watches from the sidelines.

One of the few pics on my cell phone that came out captured a lonely Jason Smith, standing on the sidelines. His lack of play so far in camp is really starting to nettle Rams fans. And even though Devaney came on the radio to reassure fans today that he (a) would be playing if this were the regular season (the same thing that was said of Bulger's fractured pinky in last year's camp), he didn't exactly pencil him in at left tackle. The team has been very pleased with Rodger Saffold's play at the point, and Smith may very well be stuck on the right side again.

There have been whispers about an attitude problem with Smith, that he has been "moping" since being sidelined with the bum toe. I'm not passing this off as truth -- there's no way for me to verify or deny something like this. And I hate to question a guy's character or heart until he has an Alex Barron-length track record of underperformance. But speaking as a man in his late 30s who has struggled with depression, I can tell you that there's nothing worse for a young professional athlete of his caliber.

Depression nearly ruined my college career, and as long as I ignored it, it continued to wreak havoc with my personal life. I've been lucky to be surrounded by talented and driven people on many different fronts, and I was able to do good things -- amazing myself at times -- by matching their effort and their standards. But when it came to motivating myself, or holding myself to my own standard, I found that it didn't exist. Like any personal handicap, recovery only began with recognition.

Right now, Smith isn't able to surround himself with his talented compatriots on the offensive line. He can't propel himself forward by using their energy, their output. He's alone on his own personal rehab timeline. Only he can push himself forward, as Donnie Avery did in last year's aggressive recovery from his own toe fracture. And a lot more eyes are on him than have ever been on me.

Steven Jackson and Chris Ogbonnaya, your #1 and #2 backs?

I wasn't able to make it to yesterday afternoon's practice, out of some misplaced dedication to my newfound desk job. I looked up at 3:00 though, and found my entire department empty. Wha?? Fortunately, the intrepid Rams fan @21bird did make it, and started blasting away tweets on what he saw -- starting by breaking the news that Danario Alexander had stuck around to watch practice. Bird had a lot of good observations on the defense, something that I wasn't able to comment much on from Saturday. Here's what he saw, and some sweet pictures taken from his iPhone.

21bird
@RamsHerd Rams goin "live" and Jerome Murphy just crushed 71 on a sweep right.

The rookie corner was drafted high because of his physical play. Watching him in shorts and shells on Saturday, he looked like a caged animal. This is a player who likes to hit. Put him and Kevin Payne in the secondary at the same time, and we start to generate an intimidation factor...

21bird
Although a great hitter Murphey seems to be lost in coverage

... But of course, he has to earn his place among the starters in order to have that on-field impact. From what we know of Spagnuolo, he's much more likely to play a man who doesn't give up the big play, over a man who might both give up and create big plays...

21bird
Justin King31 show great cvr skills and ball awareness

21bird
Justin King31 is running with the 1's

... And right now, Justin King might be the front runner at CB2. He started the last four games of the regular season, and though small, is not afraid to take his cracks at opposing ballcarriers. His biggest problem last year was getting his head around, reacting to balls in the air. According to ProFootballFocus, 40 of 54 passes (74%) thrown his way were completed last year, a very high number. (Roughly 60% is average for the position in the NFL.) But these are skills that can be learned with increasing awareness of what opposing offenses want to do. The most important thing for a young corner like King, Murphy, or Fletcher, is to not lose confidence a la Tye Hill.

21bird
Bgibson and Kburton really impressive out here

Burton continues a string of good practices, something I'd like to see carried to the field. He seems to be on a mission not to become the "forgotten man" in the WR competition. And any time there's a major change at quarterback, the opportunity arises for a new chemistry to brew up between the thrower and a new group of receivers. (One player whose name I haven't heard much of at all is Laurent Robinson....)

21bird
Playaction boot rollout via Bradford to Fendi across the body amazing!

So far in camp, Fendi has shown really soft hands, and a natural ability to catch the ball high and in stride. This guy has so many tools, I can't help but be excited about the possibility of putting him on the field as a weapon. With his size and speed, he's a matchup nightmare. Last year, the Rams kept three TEs -- blocking specialist (with good hands) Billy Bajema, primary pass-catcher Randy McMichael, and all-around threat Daniel Fells. This year, Fells was expected to graduate into McMichael's role, but Onobun could potentially leapfrog him, with Hoomanawanui as the primary block-first TE. Of course, I may have watched his Pro Day video one too many times. He still has to earn it on the field against real competition.

21bird
@RamsHerd overheard Bgibson talking to Feely about this St Louis heat being the worst he's ever been through(lol) wait till tomorrow 100+

Yup, and I'm going to be out there this evening. If my hands aren't too sweaty to type, I'll be live-tweeting some more.

One item I totally omitted from my in-practice tweets, and from this morning's in-depth training camp thoughts -- not intentionally, but it was easy to miss because it felt so routine. The team scrimmaged 11-on-11, treating our line of the fence as the end zone, offense in traditional white jerseys and defense in navy blue with their white numbers facing us. Feeley helmed the first teamers, and Steven Jackson took the handoff, cut once behind Goldberg at RT and burst through a couple defensive tags, finally breaking a mischevious slap by James Laurinaitis before taking the ball to the house, where he received a huge welcoming round of cheers and applause from the fans.

Like an idiot, I didn't realize at the time that this was Jackson's first appearance at anything approaching full speed game action since his offseason surgery. How did he look? Damn fine.

More notes from other camp reporters after the break, but first get yourself pumped up for the season with this video put together by @CGI_Ram.

Bill Coats of the Post-Dispatch chimes in on the brewing camp battle between Danny Amendola and Mardy Gilyard:

Chris Long: New do = new 'tude?

Jim Thomas reported some feistiness from Sunday's pads-on, full-contact practice, which is to be expected. Jacob Bell and Chris Long exchanged extracurriculars -- perhaps Bell was objecting to some of the MMA techniques that Long has picked up, including using the long bones of his forearms like blades to swat away the clutches of opposing offensive blockers. Nice to see the newly-mohawked Long starting this camp out with intensity -- a far cry from his struggles and frustrations from August of a year ago.

Thomas also reported on a new drill in practice that will be great fun to watch:

Thomas also got the scoop on Bradford's rookie hazing, which apparently involved a bit of music that wasn't so soothing to the savage beast [emphasis mine].

One more note (but hardly the last -- seriously, nobody does this better) from Thomas' treasure trove focuses on a couple of standout individual performances:

The Globe-Democrat's Howard Balzer quoted Coach Spags on the weekend's turnout:

And finally this morning, ESPN's Mike Sando let the radio and Twitter world know that he's coming to visit Rams camp from August 14-17, in hopes of catching Bradford's first live snaps in the Rams' first preseason game.

Mardy Gilyard greets the fans.

It was a long walk back to my car after Saturday's afternoon practice, the first full team practice and the first of the Sam Bradford Era. Longer than usual, thanks to the rather popular idea that it might be fun to spend a beautiful afternoon getting a first hand look at the future of the franchise. One of the sun-reddened Rams employees working the grassy parking area told me there were close to 800 cars -- most of them full of families, meaning at least 2,000 fans were in attendance. More than I ever saw at any of last year's practices, that's for certain.

Those who were following @RamsHerd on Twitter got a few dozen of my on-the-spot observations -- only a few of which were complaining about how damn hot it was, I promise.

Here's a selected few, and my thoughts in more detail.

1. Wide-open Wide Receiver Competition

RamsHerdWide receiver drills... crowded group. avery looks a little bigger, still smooth. nobody appears limited, despite injuries.

The lack of obvious injuries to this group was some of the best news we could have hoped to see, and something that I hope continues throughout camp. Last year, Donnie Avery arrived in camp literally bouncing with confidence and energy, only to suffer a sprained toe that held him out of most organized activities and the preseason. Then WR Brooks Foster had a nightmare injury during the Rams' Lindenwood scrimmage that ended his season.

This year, with so many young and talented players jousting for position among the team's final five or six, we want skill to be the determining factor. We want this competition to raise each player's game.

Raising their game? One guy stood out early, and it wasn't who I expected. I was keeping an eye on Avery, on Laurent Robinson, on the battle between Amendola and Gilyard, and trying to watch for the two undrafted players generating buzz in minicamp, Dominic Curry and Brandon McRae.

But meanwhile, Keenan Burton looks bigger and more confident, and ran without a noticeable hitch. He seemed to run his routes, even in drills, purposefully. Like he was anticipating the contact that comes at the NFL level on nearly every play, and ready to deliver the same punishment in kind. Burton is a guy who doesn't often get attention, even when talking about the potential for a third-year breakout player among the receiving corps. But he became the go-to-guy after Robinson went down, and made several tough grabs.

Burton punctuated his day by making a sight adjustment on a deep sideline route, as Sam Bradford threw the ball slightly inside the route. Burton, with Justin King draped all over him, found the ball in the air and swerved down to get it for what was likely a 30+ yard gainer. A phenomenal grab.

2. Amendola vs Gilyard

RamsHerd
Danny is working hard out here. getting to top gear on every return, with some nice cuts. gilyard gunning for his job tho.

The undrafted practice squad player versus the collegiate record-setter. The semi-entrenched young veteran versus the hotshot rookie. Whether or not Danny Amendola and Mardy Gilyard are fighting for a single roster spot, they are definitely competing for primacy as return men and slot receivers.

And that competition is going to break down into an archetypal one very quickly -- "the hard worker" versus "the natural talent."

Danny Amendola ran hard on every drill and every play that I saw, and in kick return duties to close the 90-minute practice, made a point of reaching top gear on every return. He came back to the simulated goal line, a mere fifteen feet away from where fans stood at the fence, drenched in sweat and still locked in his zone awaiting his next turn.

Gilyard is smooth and light. He has what looks like multiple high gears, but rarely showed his true speed in kick return practice. What he did show, consistently, is an ability to change directions like a leaf in the wind. He is superior in making himself invisible behind his blockers before flying out again. And he does all this seemingly without breaking a sweat.

The comparison goes farther: Amendola comes off as a hardass, not interested in social niceties. Even his own teammates don't expect him to get on Twitter any time soon. I made eye contact with him between returns, thinking I might root him on, but the words got stuck. I might as well have been offering encouragement to Jason Bourne or Jack Bauer. Gilyard, meanwhile, was staying loose, chatting up Jerome Murphy and Quincy Butler, two DBs sharing KR duties on the day. And Gilyard made a point of coming back around the fenceline after practice was over to deliver high fives and sign autographs -- past the cordoned off areas for extra-special fans, to where us ordinary people were standing.

Of course, you have to take these comparisons with a grain of salt. Gilyard does sweat, does work hard. Amendola is blessed with an abundance of natural speed, more than most. And both are fierce competitors. But fans can't help but seize on to the personalities these players display, and I can easily see fans dividing into two camps as the battle for playing time rages.

3. Bradford vs Feeley

RamsHerd
Feeley takes the first snap with first team in drills close to the fans ... in second snap, he's intercepted by na'il diggs.

This wasn't an aberration. In 11-on-11 scrimmages, Feeley sounds like a quarterback. He can bark out a play like nobody's business. But after the snap, he consistently locked in on his primary receivers, forced passes that didn't look open, and could not get the ball to the sideline with any zip. They floated, or were skied over the receiver's head.

Bradford showed smoother mobility, a polished play-action fake, and even on a straight dropback you could see his helmet move quickly from route to route, seemingly intent on reading his progressions and finding the right outlet.

Consistently, after Feeley had had his reps, the coaches gave Bradford a few snaps with the first teamers before rotating the second wave of guys in. Clearly he's the man. Not just of the future, but right now. And fans were excited to see it.

My buddy Rod, a season ticket holder from day one, doesn't get on Twitter, didn't see these updates come in first hand. (He grabbed my phone from me today to see what I write, and as he put it, "to see how much shit I'm full of.") So I told him what I saw: that Bradford already looked like the best quarterback on the team. But it wasn't just that he looked good, but that AJ Feeley looked pretty awful.

Groaned Rod: "Come on! It's only one practice!"

True enough. But if Feeley continues to look like he did Saturday, and Bradford continues to look like he does, the rookie will be starting with the first team within a few weeks. At most.