Curious Eyes Are on Knox as Rams Open Mini-Camp
They were all strangers in a familiar land Monday, reporting dutifully and anxiously in the morning for their first mini-camp with their new head coach, new assistants and new conditioning program at the same old Rams Park.
The veteran Ram players--with a handful of notable absences--sat through their first team meeting under Coach Chuck Knox in the morning, went through some positional meetings, then hit the field for two light workouts under the watch of their new coaching staff.
Two unsigned veterans, receiver Aaron Cox and tailback Marcus Dupree, did not show because they had not yet negotiated agreements that would protect them if they were injured during the drills, according to Knox.
One unsigned veteran, cornerback Darryl Henley, reported for the meetings but got Knox’s permission to sit out the drills for the same reason.
And finally, running back Robert Delpino, who is under contract, was missing without explanation.
All four players are expected to be engaged in very heated battles this training camp for either roster spots or starting positions.
Eight other unsigned veterans, including tackle Jackie Slater and safety Michael Stewart, agreed to insurance deals and participated fully in the drills.
Knox said he would like to have had the three unsigned players working out but understood the fear of ruining contract leverage with injury.
He said talks were still under way trying to get protection for the three, and only vaguely suggested that by missing mini-camp time, they were hurting their chances to start or, in some cases, make the roster.
“I think any time you miss practice it hurts you,” Knox said. “I think it would be good for all of them (to be in camp).”
He said he wouldn’t comment on Delpino’s situation until he found out why the back wasn’t at Rams Park. But Knox did not sound pleased that Delpino did not inform anyone he would be absent.
“It was a good first day,” Knox said after the afternoon workout. “(The team was) a little light at the corners, some places, so we couldn’t go with the pace we (the coaching staff) are used to. . . . But I’ll tell you, they went out, and they lined up and they competed.”
For the players who were here, Monday was the first organized taste of life in Knox’s newest regime, and afterward, they stressed the word organized .
In Knox’s opening 15-minute speech to the team, players said, he emphasized what it takes to play successfully for him.
“We talked about a lot of things,” is all Knox would say about the meeting.
“I’ve got a good gut feeling that he’s organized,” quarterback Jim Everett said, “a gut feeling that he’s bringing a lot of pride back to Ram football, and I’m anxious to see how the pieces fit together.
“The guys, we’ve all heard a lot about Chuck Knox. We’ve all heard a lot about his type of football and those things. But to actually experience it is something different.
“I mean, to come in and hear the first team speech--I was sitting right in the front row because I didn’t want to miss any part of it.
“(He) just talked about some of the things he expected of us, talked about some of the specifics that we need to get done for this week so we can start building. Basically trying to give us blocks to build on, not to make things so we’re in awe of the changes going on.”
On the field, the new staff appeared to emphasize organization, moving from drill to drill quickly, crisply and without dawdling in between. The mini-camp will continue through the weekend. The recent draft choices--including No. 1 pick Sean Gilbert--and rookie free agents will not be on the practice field until Friday by NFL rule, and leave when mini-camp breaks Sunday afternoon.
“Today was a real workmanlike, blue-collar like environment, where everybody was getting to know one another, getting to know the different people we’re going to be working with,” said veteran tackle Jackie Slater, who played for Knox during the coach’s first stint with the Rams and was one of the few current Rams who had ever heard a Knox speech before.
Knox said one of his main goals in the next few days is to familiarize the veterans with his new defensive system. Knox said that though the team will stay in last year’s 4-3 front, this year’s Ram defense will put more emphasis on protecting the deep zone and not force cornerbacks to cover receivers man-to-man all over the field.
“We’d like to get that installed before the rookies get here,” Knox said. “No. 2, we want to see what kind of physical condition the group is in. And the third thing, we want to start and establish a practice routine that we will be using during the season.”
Greene moved back: The closely kept secret got unveiled Monday--Kevin Greene, to his great joy, is scheduled to line up at left outside linebacker again, the position from which he garnered more sacks in a three-year period than any other player.
Last year, Greene was moved to right defensive end in former defensive coordinator Jeff Fisher’s four-man front system, and totaled only three sacks after averaging more than 15 per season as a blitzing left linebacker in Fritz Shurmur’s 3-4 setup.
In Knox’s four-lineman scheme, Greene lines up as the left-side linebacker, set against the tight end on most downs and with blitzing opportunities. Knox also said Greene would line up as an end sometimes in sure passing situations.
Ram Notes
The team signed five more rookie free agents Monday: safety Eric Buckley from Central Florida, tight end Darian McKinney from Central Michigan, defensive back Jessie Chavis from Norfolk State, quarterback Matt Veatch from San Jose State and offensive lineman John Fisher from Tennessee.