VIDEO KILLED THE RADIO STAR (or an hour in the life of FastEddie Media Surfer:)
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(10:31 PM CST)
Wake up late from an evening nap...
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(10:33 Fox2)
Cut in on Charley Armey: "If you don't have 3 starting wide receivers in the NFL, you are in trouble. We luckily have 4." He's talking about Az Hakim. Az was "too good" in minicamps not to hold off Torry Holt heading into training camp. Contrary to the depth chart presented by Howard Balzer yesterday, the Fox2 correspondent reports that Az is currently at the top of the Rams depth chart at WR...
Next Robert Holcombe, looks real big. His face on the television is even much meatier. Robert talks about the difference between his approach this year and last. The knowledge and confidence which comes with that one year of experience.
Grant Wistrom and Roland Williams follow with similar comments. We're talking about the sophomores from the Rams '98 draft. Seems it wasn't so bad after all maybe. All four will be starting or challenging for a starting job on opening day. (The fifth player from the '98 draft taken by the Rams in the first 4 rounds, Leonard Little, may be in a similar boat were it not for the tragedy...)
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(10:36 NBC5)
Mike Bush is talking about Isaac Bruce. We're watching him on the screen zigging and zagging through defenders in camp. Mike White says, "He's a remarkable talent. Those kinds of players don't come along very often." Trent Green thinks "He's a very special player. He stands out immediately on the practice field. You can't miss him."
Ike answers a question about the mental side of his injury history: "It creeps in once in awhile, but I block it out like I'm supposed to." Ike's goals this season are simple... the Rams in the playoffs and the Reverand back in the Pro Bowl. *CLICK*
(10:40 CBS4)
Steve Savard is sitting down with Dick Vermeil in a curiously dark room. It seems to be live. "I'm very pleased with the group we have in camp. The attitude is good, and the enthusiasm is very good," begins Vermeil. "It's OUR group. It's MY team. Only ten guys here precede me. If anything surprises them now, it's when we do less, not more," the little dictator shows himself.
'What are your biggest concerns at this point?' (Steve Savard looks too pretty, was he even on the practice field today, did he even hear his own question?) "My worries vary from film study to film study," DV replies. "We were minus three veterans on the defensive line today. The experienced vets on offense physically manhandled the young guys we had in there pretty well. Ray Agnew will be back from funeral leave and on the practice field tomorrow morning. Corey Sears, who had some dehydration and didn't practice much today, should be back as well."
'What's the status of Marshall Faulk?' (pretty Steve)
"I haven't talked to anyone about it in three days." (Vermeil appears to be gloating a bit because he can be so cool and unconcerned about an issue that everyone seems to think he should be panicing over.) "I talked to John Shaw last Thursday, and that's the last I heard about it. I believe Jay Zygmunt is back in St.Louis now. My philosophy is not to concern myself with the players until they are here."
'And how is Greg Hill responding to the opportunity?' (Good one Steve, sorry I dissed ya!)
"He did so well for us last year. I expect him to be at that level or better right now. Every team needs at least two running backs. Right now we have one. Marshall Faulk doesn't count until he gets in here, but we have some other guys on the roster who can play as well."
'What is your impression of Trent Green so far?'
"The important thing about Trent Green is that he is a seasoned veteran in our new offense. He spent 3 years learning this offense with Mike Martz, and he has a very thorough knowledge of it. He hasn't really impressed or dissappointed me so far, because I watched alot of film and knew what I was getting when we signed him.
"The guys who have impressed me have been Kurt Warner and Joe Germaine because they have picked up so much about a complicated system so fast. They didn't have the advantages coming in here that Trent had, but they've picked it up quickly. That's why we have put the search for a veteran backup QB on the backburner...
"Joe Germaine puts very good zip on the ball (his arm strength is underrated), and more importantly I have never been around a young quarterback with his composure, the way he handles the variables. Mike Martz told me that he has not either."
Thanx Coach, Thanx Steve, Good Luck this year Coach, you look very pretty Steve... yadda, yadda...
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(10:49 CBS4 again)
A focus segment on St.Louis native Mac Cody. Cody is confident and determined, "I've been shooting for the NFL since day one. I had a couple of setbacks along the way, but now I have this opportunity and I WILL take advantage of it."
Dick Vermeil on the practice field: "Mac Cody is a hard working kid. He's tough. He catches the football whenever he has the opportunity. He's been very impressive, and his attitude has won his teammates' respect."
Cody runs routes, catches balls, and dodges defenders on the screen while they continue to talk about him. WR coach Al Saunders can be heard in the background, "Outstanding Mac! That's what we're looking for!"
Then they interview Saunders. They cut right to his words and a closeup, so I can't tell whose hand is holding the mike to see if Steve Savard was actually on the practice field looking pretty in the heat. Saunders raves about Cody's attitude, "Alot of guys can run routes, alot of guys can catch footballs, but Mac Cody has that attitude that we're looking for here. It's the attitude that wins championships and the attitude that we need."
Savard daydreams about "Vianney High to Vashon High at the TWA Dome. He probably dubbed that audio in from the air conditioning later...
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(11:04 NBC5)
Mike Bush is leading into a segment on guess who... Mac Cody.
More clips of Mac shining in the sun on the practice field. More Al Saunders running up to greet him and yelling in his earhole, "Nicely done! That A-Way Mac!"
Jack Snow looking strong: "I saw alot of him in minicamps and I like the kid. He's tough. He'll come back to the ball, and he always catches it."
Mac himself closes out the segment with the attitude that the coaches love: "That's what the goal is here. You just don't mind the heat or anything else. There are no distractions, you just come up here and you're totally dedicated to football."
Head to commercial...
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(11:08 NBC5)
Mike Bush leads into the Trent Green interview, "Some critics have called the $16.5 million contract that Green got from the Rams a gamble, but the Rams believe that this is a guy who is a leader, a guy who doesn't make mistakes."
Mike Bush was really on the practice field. I saw him there. Now he's in a daylighted room with Trent. It isn't live.
'Jack Armstrong' with the big teeth, and the bright eyes speaks about coming into camp as the starter for the first time in his career, "This is much different for me because I come in here as the #1 guy and I'm expected to take a leadership role. My last 6 training camps I was 3rd string...
"I try not to get caught up in (the storybook stuff about the hometown hero returning home). I've always been motivated by different things...
"I'm not motivated by the critics either. People will always talk about those things and I just don't pay much attention. It would be easy for me to come in here with an ego and try to show everyone that I am better than 5 years on the sidelines, but I don't even think about it. I have always been a very self motivated person."
'What's your biggest fear?'
Teeth sparkling Trent says, "Well you never want to get hurt. I think that the best thing I can do is just go out and win some football games, get the confidence of the team, and I think the entire community will just get behind us."
Thanx Trent, Thanx Mike, Good Luck Trent, You ain't so pretty, but you ain't no radio play by play guy either Mike, Zack's right you are a boring interview Trent... yadda... yadda...
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(11:22 NBC5)
Roundtable discussion. They spend about 45 seconds on the Rams. Mike Claiborne calls D'Marco Farr's knee injury "a blessing in disguise".
"First, Farr will be back in time. And second, this gives the Rams a chance to see what they have behind Farr and Agnew. Rotation is the rule for defensive lines in the NFL these days. You have to keep these guys fresh when they are going up against 320 lb. offensive linemen every play."
*Click*
I turn off the tube.
Peace,
FETV