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Fisher, Rams avoid California dreaming

By Jim Thomas

OXNARD, CALIF. • After being showered with love by Los Angeles Rams fans, the team will be back on the practice field Thursday in Earth City in solitude.

The last public practice for fans in St. Louis took place Aug. 11. The silence of Rams Park minus fans is always jolting this time of year, a stark reminder that the regular season is fast approaching and cutdown days are approaching.

Next year at this time, the Rams could be holding training camp at the same Oxnard facility they shared with the Dallas Cowboys for two days. That’s if owner Stan Kroenke get his way on relocation to Los Angeles. In that sense, the entire Oxnard exercise could’ve amounted to a dry run.

Once more with feeling, coach Jeff Fisher reiterated that the trip to the Los Angeles area was all about getting his team ready for the 2015 regular season.

“It has nothing do with (moving to) LA or anything else,” he said. “We were really happy we had quite a group of fans here. But from a practicality standpoint and a convenience standpoint, this worked out the best for us.”

But while the Rams basked in chants of “LA Rams!, LA Rams!” in Oxnard, many in St. Louis seethed at what they regarded as another move by Kroenke to alienate the fan base.

While highly appreciative of the support from the few thousand LA Rams fans who showed up Monday and Tuesday, Rams players — at least publicly — tried to stay out of it.

“All you can do is focus on your craft,” tight end Jared Cook said. “You’re here to play football. You’re not here to make executive decisions.”

Defensive end Chris Long said: “We’re appreciative of our fans wherever they are. Obviously they did a great job of coming to support us here. We have great fans in St. Louis, too. We’re not here to choose sides. We’re here to play football.”

And from linebacker James Laurinaitis: “To be honest with you, I don’t really think about it. I really just relish this trip as a way for us to get better.

VISIT FROM ROSEY

Hall of Famer Rosey Grier, part of the famed Rams defensive line known as the Fearsome Foursome, took in Tuesday’s practice and spoke to the D-line unit.“He just had a really good message for us,” Long said. “You know, cherish the time. He really enjoyed his time with the Fearsome Foursome. And him being the last one left, it’s pretty special to get to meet a guy like that who’s a big part of our history.”Grier advised the players to take care of their finances and also emphasized the importance of good sportsmanship on the field.

VISITING THE TROOPS

Wednesday’s visit with the troops at Point Mugu Naval Air Station was planned all along, Fisher said, long before he decided to cancel the day’s practice.“Once we agreed to come here (to Oxnard), we kind of looked around and said: ‘Where are they?’ And found them.”The team also flew out of Point Mugu on their return to St. Louis, adding a convenience factor to the visit.

“To be able to be with the military, any time we do it — when we do it back in St. Louis it’s one of my favorite things at the end of camp when we go over there (to Scott Air Force Base),” Laurinaitis said. “I mean, it just puts life in perspective. We’re out here playing a game that we love, and they’re the ones that are defending our country.”

Laurinaitis said the players should be getting autographs from the troops instead of vice versa.

LONG’S BACK

After missing the preseason opener last week in Oakland, as well as most of the first two weeks of training camp because of back problems, Long returned to practice in Oxnard. He looked especially quick working against the Dallas offensive line Tuesday.“Thank you,” Long teased. “Put that in the paper. You know, I feel good. I dropped some weight this year to try to be quicker. I’m not 23 any more, so it’s helped me a lot. I feel like playing at that (lighter) weight I can be destructive and really get off the ball and cause problems.”Long, 30, is in the 260-pound area after being listed about five to 10 pounds heavier in previous seasons.