Has it really already been a week since the season premiere of HBO’s “Hard Knocks” featuring the Rams and Chargers?
That’s plenty of time, it would seem, for Rams coach Sean McVay to reflect on — and possibly regret — his decision to appear shirtless in the first episode.
“I just wanted to make sure that I didn’t come off as a total tool with my shirt off at my house in the pool,” he remarked to reporters after the Rams’ first padded practice on Tuesday. “That was my biggest concern. As soon as I did that with them, I said, ‘I cannot believe I was that dumb to do that.’ If you can believe, it was actually worse before we cut a couple of those scenes out. So, I came away scathed, but not as scarred as I would have been otherwise.”
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There was no Shirtless Sean in this week’s episode, although he did mention it during the credits in a meeting with coaches. The Chargers did have another COVID-19 scare, and we have another hint about Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey’s long-term plans among other observations of the reality show.
Jourdan Rodrigue on the Rams
- As expected, not much news comes out of Rams camp on “Hard Knocks,” but we can glean little clues about some players’ long-term intentions. Ramsey, the star cornerback who is waiting for what likely will be a market-resetting new contract, went to look at a 31-acre property in the mountainous region of Southern California. The mansion was already completely decked out with photos of Ramsey’s family and his favorite items, as an attempt by the property owner to further entice him to buy. Ramsey remarked that becoming a Ram last year, in a trade from Jacksonville, was one of the best days of his life, and he hoped to make L.A. his “forever home.” He’s practicing without a new deal right now, and the first clue to things moving into place financially for Ramsey would be if the Rams restructure Aaron Donald’s contract. A lot of things in reality TV are produced just for that: TV. But in the off chance Ramsey truly is looking to buy a house, it would show his confidence that a long-term deal will get done.
- Rookie linebacker Clay Johnston is a total character-and-a-half. He is equal parts hopeful, earnest and fired up to be on a football field, and his one-liners while mic’ed up were great in this episode. One, Johnston invited the crew to come in for a tour of his room at the team hotel, calling it his “hobbit hole.” Two, he said he wanted his calls at the Mike linebacker position to be poetry, “like Shakespeare.” Johnston also was quick to ask for help from veteran teammates and praise others when they did the right thing on a play, even telling one teammate, “I love you” for rushing properly.
- One of the ways the Rams’ offensive coaches want quarterback Jared Goff to improve this season is the manner in which he comes in and out of the huddle. What does that mean, exactly? We saw a little clue this week, when McVay got on Goff for being too slow to break the huddle and said it would have caused a penalty. Part of Goff taking more control of the offense means commanding the huddle in such a manner.
- “Hard Knocks” covered left tackle Andrew Whitworth and his family’s journey with COVID-19, after his entire immediate family tested positive in June. The Whitworths are all healthy now, and a great moment with “Big Whit” happens a few minutes later as he is instructing a younger teammate with his cup of coffee in one hand. Extreme “football dad” energy.
- The episode also touched briefly on Donald’s offseason workout plan and how he stayed in, frankly, insane shape (he jabs at the show in the end credits — “Hard Knocks is always trying to get me to take my shirt off”). What I appreciated is that the crew also showcased a less-discussed side of Donald: How he helps other players, and his general respect as a good teammate.
- My favorite quote of the episode came from Rams assistant head coach and assistant linebackers coach Joe Barry, in speaking with Johnston. Johnston remarked that one would need to be good at geography to understand the Rams’ defense. Barry responded, “If you’re not familiar with the map, you’re fucked.”
Daniel Popper on the Chargers
- There was another tense COVID-19-related moment for the Chargers. In last week’s episode, head coach Anthony Lynn revealed that he had tested positive for the virus in June after experiencing some fatigue and aches. This week, the show revealed that offensive quality control coach Seth Ryan, the son of former Jets and Bills head coach Rex Ryan, also tested positive, this time during training camp. Ryan had been in the facility and meeting rooms. And you could sense the anxiety for everyone in the Chargers organization in the scenes “Hard Knocks” showed — from coaches to players. The good news: Later in the episode, it came out that Ryan’s results had been a false positive. The relief, like the anxiety, was palpable. But my main takeaway from the scare was how Lynn — and general manager Tom Telesco, to a lesser degree — reacted. As someone who had contracted the disease, Lynn was fully aware of how easily someone can get it and what kind of impact a positive test can have, both physically and mentally. Lynn was empathetic and understanding. I think that speaks to the culture the Chargers have established, specifically in regard to this disease. And it’s just another reason why the Chargers believe so strongly in Lynn as a head coach.
- The most interesting football segment of Tuesday’s episode featured rookie quarterback Justin Herbert, and there were a lot of fascinating nuggets to pick out. First was Lynn talking with Chargers owner Dean Spanos. Lynn said of Herbert, “He’s a sharp young man. Trying to get him to talk and communicate a little more. He’s quiet. Usually at that position you’re a big mouth. But you got to let him do it through his own personality.” This was one of the knocks on Herbert coming out of Oregon. He is more reserved and introverted than a typical NFL quarterback. Somewhere along the way, this transformed into doubts about Herbert’s ability to lead, which I think are completely unfounded based on conversations I’ve had with people who know him. Still, it is worth noting that the Chargers have quite a few big personalities on their offense, starting with Keenan Allen. And Herbert will have to find a way to connect with those players in his own way. He will have to open up and be more gregarious than maybe he is used to. At the same time, the best way to connect with teammates is to show he can play. Here is what Hall of Famer Dan Fouts told me a couple weeks ago on the topic: “I’ve always felt that you lead by example and by your play. And every once in a while, you have to be vocal, but that comes after because nobody is going to listen to a guy that can’t play. And so with Justin, I think the vocal part of his leadership came around for him (at Oregon), but it came around after how well he performed. And I think the same thing will happen (in the NFL). It’s tough for a rookie to step in right away and lead a bunch of grizzled veterans, but you can do it if you perform and you perform well. And I’m confident that he will.” If Herbert is throwing dimes and breaking off long scrambles, no one will care that he is a little on the quiet side.
- That Lynn-Spanos conversation provided some insight into Herbert learning the cadence he needs to use in the NFL while under center. The episode detailed how, at Oregon, Herbert was pretty much always in shotgun and signaled for the snap with a clap as opposed to a count. That won’t be the case with the Chargers. And he is working to grasp the intricacies of making his cadences consistent from snap to snap. In one clip, Lynn notices that Herbert has one cadence — the rhythm of his voice as he calls for a snap — when the play is a run and one cadence when the play is a pass. “When I’m sitting back there watching and imagining what the defense could be thinking,” Lynn says, “I can tell there’s a difference between when it’s a run and when it’s a pass based on the way you talk. Just keep that in mind.” To Herbert’s credit, he asked his head coach straight up, “What should we do about it?” There is that inquisitive mind. “Just make it the same,” Lynn said. “Same tone, same urgency. If you’re going to be soft about, be soft about both of them. If you’re going to be loud about, be loud on both. Because defenses in this league, boy, they pick up on any little thing.” Lynn is making a really important point here. Position coaches spend hours and hours watching film each week to detect even the slightest tendencies of opposing offenses or defenses. One tell could lead to a play that wins a game. Herbert can’t afford to be giving away what play the Chargers are running, run or pass. He will learn. Normally, these are things Herbert would have started learning in OTAs. And now you can get a better grasp of why the missed time will have such a stark effect on Herbert’s development this season.
- After that scene, Bryan Bulaga talked with Herbert about why cadences are so crucial for offensive lineman. It’s clear Bulaga has already taken a leadership role with this group after signing as a free agent this offseason. Bulaga will be a tremendous asset not just for Herbert but also for the young offensive linemen on the Chargers roster.
- I would love for the show to dive deeper into Tyrod Taylor’s story and his connection with Lynn. Seems like a missed opportunity. Hopefully, they will get into that storyline in future episodes.
- I have found the one physical activity I could beat Derwin James in: cornhole.
(Photo of Jalen Ramsey and Robert Woods: Jayne Kamin-Oncea / Getty Images)
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