As for the scrimmage notes, to jump to a specific position, just click below-

Defensive Line l Secondary/Linebackers l Wide Receivers
Tight Ends l Offensive Line

Defensive Line-

"If the Rams give up alot of pass yardage this year, it won't be the secondary's fault... it'll be these guys. They just don't have alot of pass rushers up front. Demarco was missing so I'm sure that takes its toll.
Kevin Carter played well... he had a sack down near the goal line on the Colts only real drive of the day... they actually moved the chains that time and the Colts got the ball down to the 6 before Styles and Agnew teamed up to stuff a couple of runs and Carter got a big sack on third down. Then Kevin blocked the field goal attempt on fourth... great series.
Wistrom, I've said below, was good against the run. He doesn't get around the tackle very often at this point, but that should come. The important point is that he's already better in every phase of the game than Jay Williams... sorry rabid.
Bryan Robinson backed up Carter at LE and also lined up inside... if the Rams got pressure or made run stuffs in the backfield... you can be sure Bryan was in the game. This guy is BIG and lean and mean... he makes the other DT's look dumpy by comparison. He'll get alot of playing time one way or the other this year... I'd like to see him inside alongside Agnew with Farr coming in on passing downs.
Phillips was invisible. I'd heard what great shape this fellow was in... huh?? I just didn't see it... he's short and squat and didn't make any plays.
Agnew on the other hand gave me renewed confidence that he can do what Bill Johnson did last year. Don't expect much of a pass rush if any from Ray, but then Bill didn't get any either. If they run to Ray's side, they won't find a hole. He had several tackles on the LOS during the scrimmage.
Zgonina didn't stand out... Maumalanga made more plays than him for crying out loud.
James Manley is intriguing... he's a very large guy and he seemed to hold his own inside... he managed to push the Guard into the backfield on a couple of occasions but lacked the moves to get around him.
Jeff Robinson saw almost no action on Defense... he saw almost no action period... Flannery did the long snapping... Robinson will be cut."

"My prediction:
Manley beats out either Phillips or Zgonina. Agnew starts. Wistrom starts sooner rather than later and B. Robinson gets more PT than anyone thinks."
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Secondary & Linebackers-

"Most of my defensive notes came from the scrimmage. I really would have liked to have been able to see our defensive linemen take on the Colts offensive linemen in pass rush drills, but this was going on on the other side of the field while I watched our offense.
I did manage to get over there for the end of 11 on 11 action before the teams all came together for special teams practice. Special teams of course, must be practiced in the end with everyone in attendance because all of the units are made up of a combination of offensive and defensive players.
Leonard Little played strong side OLB in practice as well as in the scrimmage. He lines up on the LOS over the tight end and next to whichever defensive end happens to be on the strong side. Meanwhile, the weakside backer plays in space on the other side, while the strong safety lines up next to the MLB on the strong side and picks up the Tight End in coverage... thus the defense looks more like a 5-3 than a 4-3.
Little got into the backfield on a number of occasions recording a sack in the scrimmage and a few stuffs on running plays to his side. Even when the play moved to the weakside... he was often in on the tackle... great pursuit.
Lorenzo Styles... I missed him in practice, but he was all over the place on Saturday... he made alot of tackles near the LOS on the outside along with the OLB.
Kazadi played both inside and out and he seemed to do a better job on the outside. He still had trouble reading the play from the middle but he is fast getting to the play if its coming at him. I think his ability to play both inside and out makes rookies Bush and Fletcher expendable. Fletcher looked good in coverage, but Bush looked lost.
Clemons saw alot of action but made very few plays. He played strong side linebacker, same as Little. I did see him get a bit of a rush on occasion and he sealed off the end against the rush, but I don't see him making it unless we keep about 8 linebackers or he steps up on special teams. How many LB's did we keep last year?
Hill, Jones, Phifer, Styles, Little, and Kazadi were my top six in that order. Either Chorak or Clemons doesn't make it. Chorak did get a sack in the scrimmage but it looked like a blown assignment by the FB... he was otherwise invisible throughout the weekend.
I've already posted my thoughts on McCleon... he stays right with his receiver and as a result he wasn't picked on excessively, but on a number of occasions, when the ball arrived he was out of position to make a play because he failed to turn when he should have or he turned the wrong way. Dexter's run support is above average... he gets back to the LOS quickly on running plays... this is probably what sets him apart from Taje Allen. Allen is smaller and doesn't tackle as well although his coverage skills are probably a bit superior... he didn't get beat much.
Willie Clarke is the 5th corner. He's bigger and more physical than I expected and has great speed. The secondary coach spent alot of time with Willie. He looks a bit lost in the Rams schemes much the way McNeil was in camp last year. Joe Rowe still sat out with a bad back so he's not getting much competition for the final CB spot.
#29 Stargell is an early cut... he's probably only there to provide reps in the absence of McNeil and Rowe.
One guy who I was surprised with, however, was #38 Billy Austin. This is the guy who played safety in college and he was a pre-camp cut only to be resigned when Ed Simmons retired. Austin was working his butt off. He got lost on a couple of occasions, and he was picked on ALOT, but most of the time he was so close that it took a very good throw to beat him.
Jenkins played well at SS. He won't hurt us in coverage or run support one bit. If Toby is healthy, however, he'll step right into the starting lineup IMHO based on his playmaking ability. Jenkins is solid... Wright is a playmaker. The Rams need playmakers on defense because they might have a difficult time getting much of a pass rush.
Lyle looks like he's ready to start the season tomorrow... nuff said."
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Wide Receivers-

"While the linemen were engaged in pass blocking drills and the TEs ran routes in isolation, the WRs were paired up with the Colts secondary and later they ran patterns in full 11 on 11 action.
Ike is the man... he didn't nearly as many reps because I think the quarterbacks use him as a crutch too much, it's probably difficult for the coaches to assess the other receivers when Ike is out there because he's always open and the QB knows it.
I said down below in response to GRITS question about Eddie Kennison that Eddie was doing a good job getting off the line and into his patterns and he was open alot in practice although like Ike he didn't see a great deal of action in the scrimmage. He made some great grabs in practice and he also made some bad drops. If he gets a handle on his hands, he'll be a very solid #2 WR much like he was in '96.
Proehl is just the opposite... whenever the ball is thrown his way, he catches it... his hands are very reliable. His only chance to start, however, is if Kennison continues to drop balls. He just doesn't see as many passes thrown his way because he has average speed and has a difficult time getting separation. As a 3rd WR he may find it alot easier to get himself open.
Hakim is fabulous. He is a streak... everything you've read about him is true. He looked really clean and quick in practice and I didn't see him drop anything. He only saw one pass come his way in the scrimmage which was threaded by I think Furrer between two defenders, one of whom got his hands on the ball before Az could get to it. I think he suffered in the scrimmage from having the entire 2nd string offensive line in the game. They just couldn't hold their guys in pass protection long enough to give the quarterbacks a chance to look downfield. In special teams drills, Hakim took over for Kennison about halfway through and he looks more natural than Eddie in this role. Eddie was fast and elusive once he caught the ball, but while the ball is in the air, he scrambles around under it and makes you wanna cover your eyes... Az just steps up and makes the catch and gets his feet under him to turn upfield alot quicker.
Malcolm "the Fro" Floyd was exciting to watch as well. He looks to be feeling no ill affects from his achilles tendon... very quick.
After those five, there is a noticeable dropoff. If we keep 6, the next best at this point looks to be JT Thomas... JT was the only one of the bottom tier of receivers to get open consistently. Sellers, Baker, and all the rookies didn't show much to speak of."
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Tight Ends-

"It's a little difficult to assess the Tight Ends not having seen Ernie Conwell who Vermeil has raved about and who will apparently play alot bigger role in the offense this year.
Nonetheless, Conwell's role could be seen vicariously through Aron Laing. Laing played with the first string offense at both tight end and H-Back and had a great weekend I thought.
In pass catching drills with the backs and TE's, Laing showed not only great hands, but also a penchant for getting open on most every pattern he ran. Most of the ends caught just about everything thrown their way with a couple of exceptions, but Laing got more separation between himself and the linebacker.
Rookie Roland Williams didn't see significantly more action than Jacoby and Armstrong, but he also got open and only dropped one ball. At least it looks like Williams is making the right friends in camp... as the players were walking off the field after the afternoon practice, they had to cross the street and go across a field to the Memorial Stadium lockerrooms... their path was lined with orange fence with autograph hounding fans lining each side. Well the last two Rams off the field were Pace and Williams and I was able to steal a bit of their conversation. Williams was sucking up a bit, describing one of Pace's famous pancake blocks in practice and he said, "That's Orlando there, that's what I'm talkin' bout."
Pace just smiled at him, the guy is ALWAYS smiling, he just looks like a great down to earth guy to be around... he smiled at Roland and said, "You're gunna be my homey ain't you? We're gunna kick it a little bit."
Jacoby is a good blocker and I watched him during special teams drills, the guy is INTENSE. If he makes the team it will be on that basis, because he's not nearly as smooth running his routes nor does he get separation like some of the other more natural tight ends... he didn't make it look easy, but he didn't drop anything either.
Armstrong, on the other hand, was exactly the opposite... he looked very graceful and athletic getting into his routes, he got good separation, but he had hands of stone in practice... just couldn't hold onto the ball. He made up for it a little bit in the scrimmage with a nice over the shoulders TD grab.
Based on what I saw... Laing will make the team easily... he's a Conwell clone, though not as good a blocker, he can play H-Back as well and he's a good receiver... if Ernie gets hurt, the gameplan needn't be altered much because Laing will come off the bench.
Williams will probably just get better and better and should make the team based on potential.
That leaves Jacoby and Armstrong to duke it out for the 4th TE slot... Jacoby probably gets it based on special teams contribution."
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Offensive Line-

"When I traveled up to Champaign this weekend, I was determined to pay very close attention to the offensive line from top to bottom and that's exactly what I did.
Before I start, bear in mind that these comments are coming from a guy who is all of 165 lbs. and played fullback and linebacker in HS, so I'm certainly no expert on line play, but nonetheless here's what I gathered from the weekend's festivities..."

"Our starting 5 are going to be very solid:
During practice the teams would divide up with one team's offense and the other teams defense on one field and vice versa on the other. The offense of both teams wore white and the D wore blue. Then to start things off, the lines took one end of the field, with the backs and TE's and a couple of the QB's taking another section and going against the linebackers, while the other QB's, the WR's and the secondary taking a third section. Each group ran separate drills, so there was ALOT to watch:)"

"In the morning practice the linemen participated in 2 on 2 drills... one guy, a coach or Tucker, would simulate a snap while two linemen to his left or right faced off against two dlinemen. Now whatever you say about the Colts, they do have a pretty solid dline from everything I saw and heard beforehand, so this should be a decent evaluating tool. Dan Footeman especially participated in alot of the pass rush drills, and he's a very talented rusher.
In 2 on 2 drills, the focus was on the offensive linemen's ability to handle stunts and switching defenders etc. The defenders would often pull around each other and the offensive guys had to pick up each other's guys and keep them out of the backfield, so they had to demonstrate some quick feet to start with aside from being able to get into their blocks and maintain contact.
It's in these drills that John Flannery first caught my eye... he was wearing #63 and at first I didn't realize who he was. I thought "damn who is that rookie?" When I did find out, I couldn't believe how mobile the guy was. He has been criticized for having a history of knee problems and most experts say he's lost his mobility... bullhockey! This guy can move and he's very tenacious and mean... whenever the defender creates a foot of space between them, Flannery is right back in his face pushing him back... not just holding his ground but hitting him hard, tossing him back and keeping him offbalance... I didn't see Flannery get beaten once. Lined up alongside Flannery was former NFL-Europer Tom Nutten, who worked hard and managed to maintain most of his blocks, but was a little slow of foot and got beat on a couple of occasions.
I watched the rookies in this drill and had the feeling that this was not how it was supposed to go... McKinney, Pollack, Rountree, & Chanoine basically provided but a speed bump... stumbling around and hardly slowing the Colts dlinemen down on their way into the backfield. There weren't many bright spots for this group in pass protection drills all weekend.
I didn't even realize how lousy they had been until I saw Pace and Miller step up there. Wow! These guys are a WALL. There was never a foot between either one of these guys and their marks. They did not lose contact, Pace did not have to chase his man all around the outside of the pocket as Gandy would do a bit later. Perhaps its just a difference in technique, but Gandy would give his man the outside and then fall back and just seal off the pocket... it was effective, but on the other side, Pace and Miller simply gave up nothing... where the drill began, thats where it ended every single time. The spectators around me were cracking jokes about the poor defensive linemen who drew the Pace and Miller matchups... "Can we rotate now or something?" *Laugh*"

"In the later practice, there were alot more different types of drills, but the results were no different... more of the Orlando/Freddie show. In isolation, 1 on 1 pass protection, Fred Miller was an animal, he didn't get beat once. My favorite were the 3 on 3's. They ran these with the entire left side (Gruttadauria/Miller/Pace), the entire right side (Grut/Wiegert/Gandy), and the interior (Miller/Grut/Wiegert). None of these guys got beat... not ever... the most impressive to watch was once again the left side because as I said, the action simply did not move, they locked up their blocks at the LOS and that's where they'd all be a few seconds later when the whistle blew after some hopeless flailing about by immobilized defenders. Nonetheless, I was also impressed by the interior of Wiegert, Grut, and Miller... these guys didn't let anything by either and while Gandy seemed to be doggin it a bit and did have to chase his mark around the outside on a few occasions, he still managed to seal off the pocket.
Ethan Brooks, who is clearly at this point the 7th or 8th best lineman on the team (depending on where you put Tucker who I didn't see), got knocked back into the backfield on a couple of occasions playing with the second team at RG alongside Flannery, but he never lost contact and didn't get beat. Ethan is really big and tall and it looked like on a couple of occasions he may have gotten too high, but as I said, he recovered nicely.
After Brooks, there is a huge dropoff in performance. I'm not even sure who the 9th and 10th best linemen would be. Correct me if I'm wrong but don't we usually keep 9 or 10? Well I'm inclined to say the next tier would be #71 Matt Reem and #61 Tom Nutten. Reem is another great big guy, who looks the part of a very athletic tackle, but is probably a bit slow of foot to sustain his blocks.
Pollack, Rountree, McKinney, Chanoine... these guys just looked lost. They got beaten and tossed and thrown all over the field. Rountree showed probably the most effort of the bunch, coming back again and again to make contact despite being way out of position. McKinney actually held his own on a couple of occasions and seems a bit quicker than the rest. Fred Pollack was just beaten handily on every down... and Chanoine... poor Rog.
Chanoine was beaten like a dog and just altogether taken to school. He went up against Dan Footeman and in one comical sequence, Footeman breezed around him to the inside, then to the outside, then on the third play, poor Rog was so messed up that he just smacked him with both hands on the shoulder pads dead on... sending him flying straight backwards with a THUD on his butt... and while the crowd tittered, I had a moment of horror, realizing that in an actual game, Rog would probably be sitting on Tony Banks' ribs right about now. Can you say cut? C-U-T. Do not pass go, do not collect $200, do not go to the practice squad... just go HOME, Roger."

"Allright... that's enough about pass protection drills... you all probably think its way MORE than enough:) Now let me tell you why I think we have the collection of linemen we have... this goes for all of them from Zach Wiegert and Fred Miller in the starting lineup right down to the lowliest rookie, yes even Roger. These guys are ALL... ALL... a bunch of run blocking fools. Dick Vermeil wants to run the ball this year folks... he is centering everything around running the ball and all of these guys can drive block.
Why did Peyton Manning get so much work in the scrimmage and Banks got almost none? Why did the colts score 6 TD's to our 2? I'll tell you the biggest reason why. Because during the scrimmage just as during the 11 on 11 action during the two days of practice... the Rams ran... they ran and they ran and they ran. During the scrimmage they ran left, they ran right... Priester is slow as I said, and Henley is tough and looked good but also lacks much cutback quickness... yet the holes were there and the Rams piled up 5 yard carry after 5 yard carry... interspersed with the occasional 9 or 10 yarder when Preister put his head down and ran over someone. The two teams had different agendas throughout the weekend... Mora wanted to get Manning some action and you could see the bombs flying through the air on the other field from my vantage point on the complete other side. Meanwhile, the Rams ground it out between the tackles on handoff after handoff. I'm going to have to go up to Macomb in a couple of weeks a
nd see what Holcombe, Thompson and Moore look like behind this line, but they made Priester and Henly look good...."
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