[Elvis]

[Elvis]

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football ... YE.twitter

Is California practice a preview or coincidence for Rams?

by Jim Thomas

OXNARD, CALIF. • Welcome to the land of $4 a gallon gas, 13 percent state income tax, water shortages and congestion — otherwise known as Stan Kroenke’s land of milk and honey.

Amid rumors that the Rams are scouting sites in the Thousand Oaks area for their permanent practice facility in the Los Angeles area, and that they have told the team’s equipment people and athletic trainers they plan to bring them out West, the Rams will practice Monday and Tuesday near LA against the Dallas Cowboys. The Rams will work on their own Wednesday before flying back to St. Louis.

It seems all too coincidental that the Rams are practicing in Oxnard, about 55 miles northwest of Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has made no secret of the fact that he is a big backer of Kroenke’s plan to build a $2 billion stadium in the Inglewood area of LA — St. Louis and its $1 billion stadium project notwithstanding.

But Rams coach Jeff Fisher said over the weekend that this is just the way things worked out.

“I’ve said this numerous times, we felt like our team was in a position needing some additional experience on the practice field (against another squad),” Fisher said.

So why not do so in the Midwest? In past seasons, the Rams have trained with the Chicago Bears (in Platteville, Wis. and Macomb, Ill.); with Fisher’s former team, the Tennessee Titans (in Nashville, Tenn., and Macomb); and with the Indianapolis Colts (at the University of Illinois).

“We talked to a number of clubs,” Fisher said. “And it just so happened that from a timing standpoint it worked out that Dallas was our best option. We did talk to Midwest teams, and timing-wise it just didn’t work out.

“Just from a travel standpoint, with the late game (Friday) night and avoiding the late travel back we felt like because of the Cowboys’ availability that this was gonna be our best option.”

The Rams headed to the Oxnard area — they’re lodging about 25 miles south of the Cowboys’ facility — following Friday’s 18-3 loss at Oakland in their exhibition opener. The players had a day off Saturday, prompting some social media wiseacres to surmise it gave the players a chance to tour the area and look for homes.

Linebacker James Laurinaitis used part of the day to work out at a Gold’s Gym in Southern California where he tweeted that he ran into “Arnold” in the gym building. We presume he meant Arnold Schwarzenegger, not Tom Arnold.

On Sunday, Rams players had a walk-through at a high school near their hotel, as they reviewed game film and went over corrections from the Raiders game. There was a sighting of Fisher and at least some members of his staff late Sunday afternoon at the Cowboys’ practice facility.

Rams players won’t be there until Monday afternoon for the first of two practices with the Cowboys.

“The players are looking forward to it,” Fisher said. “We’ll get great work. I spoke with Coach (Jason) Garrett. We’ve got a really good practice schedule together, so we’ll get quality work out there. We’ll just use this as an opportunity for both teams to improve.”

At most of these joint practices, the players from each team stretch and go through individual periods separately. But when the one-on-one periods begin, and then seven-on-seven, and 11-on-11, it’s one team against another.

For example, Cowboys defensive backs covering Rams wide receivers taking throws from Nick Foles & Co. during one-on-ones. Rams linebackers and defensive backs working against Cowboys wideouts, running backs and tight ends during seven-on-seven work. And vice versa.

The Cowboys have two practice fields at their disposals — fields that are part of a hotel’s property. So while, for example, the Rams’ offense is working against the Dallas defense on one field, the Rams’ defense can be working against the Dallas offense on the other.

“It’s just another opportunity for the team to grow and bond together,” Foles said. “It’s a road trip, really. I mean, it’s a business road trip. So we’re gonna be getting our work in and working hard against a Dallas team that had a great year last year. I’m very familiar with them.”

As a Philadelphia Eagle, Foles missed both games against Dallas last year because of a broken collarbone. But he has played the Cowboys four times in his career, including three starts. In fact, his NFL debut was against Dallas on Nov. 11, 2012 —he came off the bench in place of the injured Michael Vick.

“I’ve done joint practices before, and you get a lot out of ’em in the sense that you get on the same page with your guys,” Foles said. “In my situation, a young O-line gets to go against Dallas’ defensive front, so it’ll be really good to practice against them.”

The Cowboys normally practice before a few thousand fans every day — they drew more than 50,000 total over the course of their 2014 camp. So the Rams will be working before a bigger house than they do in the more intimate setting at Rams Park, where the average attendance was 1,100 or so this summer.

“That should be fun,” said Jamon Brown, one of those young offensive linemen. “To have a couple more eyes watching you it’s always good.”

And the crowds should be bolstered by the appearance of West Coast Rams fans excited for the potential return of the team to Los Angeles in 2016 should Kroenke get his way on relocation.

“There’s a lot of fans on the West Coast because the team has been in LA,” Foles said. “They’re still Rams fans. They follow the team in St. Louis, and they love the Rams.

“We could see it out there (in Oakland) — it was fun seeing all the Rams fans out there. And I’m sure that when we’re in Oxnard, they’ll be there as well. So the St. Louis Rams fans are everywhere.”

With the NFL considering a season-ticket deposit campaign for the potential arrival of the Rams, Chargers, and/or Raiders in Los Angeles in 2016, having the Rams practice in Oxnard for a few days in 2015 is a pretty good PR and marketing strategy.

But again, this is all coincidental.

[max]

I guess we need an update from JT on his odds of the Rams leaving after talking to Shaw. If he moves it from 55-45 back to 57-43, then you know the Rams are gone.

[Elvis]

http://www.dailynews.com/sports/2015081 ... um=twitter

For now, Rams returning to Southern California for just a brief visit

By Vincent Bonsignore, Los Angeles Daily News

OXNARD >> Finally, the Rams are back.

No, no, no. Not that kind of back.

And not actually back in Los Angeles, either.

But close.

Closer than they’ve ever been since bolting the City of Angels 20 years ago for St. Louis, breaking so many hearts in the process and leaving a National Football League void in L.A. that still hasn’t been filled.

Beginning Monday, the Rams will be in Oxnard spending three days working out with the Dallas Cowboys, who have made Ventura County a bit of a semi-annual training camp tradition over the years.

With both teams needing practice partners to break up the monotony of training camp, it made sense to hook up this week in Oxnard considering the Rams played two days ago in Oakland. So, rather then head back to the Midwest, they’ll make a stopover in this sleepy little beach community about 40 miles from Santa Barbara.

But let’s not let convenience and proximity get in the way of the much juicer subplot to the Rams Southern California appearance.

We all know they have their eyes set on returning to Los Angeles, where owner Stan Kroenke is proposing a privately financed stadium at the old Hollywood Park race track site in Inglewood.

And with the Oakland Raiders and San Diego Chargers joining forces on their own Los Angeles journey – the two old rivals are proposing a joint stadium in Carson – and the National Football League set to decide soon which team or teams get to relocate to the coveted Los Angeles market and what stadium they’ll call home, it’s safe to say the Rams are hoping to make a dramatic statement spending the next three days in Southern California.

And at the same exact site the Raiders used for training camp when the played in Los Angeles.

Touche.

Considering the manner in which Los Angeles Rams fans plan to take over Oxnard – they’ve been booking hotel rooms from the moment the Rams and Cowboys announced their joint workouts - you can count a loud, boisterous statement. The Cowboys are extremely popular no matter where they go, and their fans consistently make the pilgrimage to Oxnard to support them during the summer months.

But don’t be surprised if Rams fans take over Oxnard the next few days. That’s the plan, anyway. And make no mistake, if the NFL doesn’t notice the support and love that still exists for the Rams in these parts, Kroenke will be making a few phone calls the next couple days pointing it out.

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After all, his L.A. dreams depend on the support of fellow owners. Whoever ends up relocating will need 24 votes of approval from the league’s 32 owners.

This is a high-stakes game being played. And every edge counts.

Not to be outdone, the Raiders and Chargers have planned their own Los Angeles statement this week. Carson stadium point man Carmen Policy will update the Los Angeles City of Commerce Monday at a downtown L.A. hotel.

If you believe in coincidences, Policy’s appearance in L.A. at the same time the Rams are an hour away in Oxnard is just a fluky scheduling occurrence.

Um, right.

This is all about positioning, and there was no way the Raiders and Chargers were about to let the Rams have the headlines all to themselves.

All of which adds intrigue to an already fascinating story.

The Rams are back in Southern California.

For three days, anyway.

But maybe it’s a prelude to a much longer stay.

[The Ripper]

I guess we need an update from JT on his odds of the Rams leaving after talking to Shaw. If he moves it from 55-45 back to 57-43, then you know the Rams are gone.

I saw it on twitter 56-44

[Elvis]

Last week he said he was moving it to 55-45 then this week he said he was keeping it at 56-44.

I don't feel like he's taking this seriously enough...

[Hacksaw]

Shaw's counterpart or replacement is Kevin Demoff an LA native who has experience marketing football in LA. Coincidence Kroenke hired him 5 years ago?