Draft Choices Don’t Put the Rams on Hold : Football: For the first time in years, team comes to terms with all draft picks before camp.
Fifty-three new and old Rams convened at UC Irvine Tuesday evening to begin the first phase of training camp and were greeted with an opening speech by Chuck Knox, the oldest new Ram there is.
Before the speech, Knox got some pleasant news: No. 2 pick Steve Israel, the team’s last unsigned draft choice, had agreed to a multi-year deal and was expected to be at camp as early as this afternoon.
Two-a-day workouts begin this morning, and the Rams are without a holdout--a clean break from tradition.
Last season, the Rams were without No. 1 pick Todd Lyght--like Israel, a cornerback--for all of camp because of a contract dispute, and Lyght couldn’t crack the starting lineup until late in the season.
But this season, with the Israel agreement, the Rams have hauled in all of their draft choices (14 this season) before camp for the first time in years, including No. 1 pick Sean Gilbert, who signed a five-year deal the day of the draft.
Before the Israel agreement Knox said he thought young players should be in camp as soon as possible--especially in a situation of flux, as the Rams are under new coaches.
But Israel eliminated that concern by agreeing to what is believed to be a three-year deal worth about $1.65 million, and he will immediately compete for the starting right cornerback spot.
The only missing body for this week-long “advance camp” for rookies and assorted other players who might need extra work was second-year fullback Ernie Thompson, who had travel problems and was due in today.
Tuesday, the Rams also announced the signings of fourth-round selection Shawn Harper and veterans Damone Johnson and Mike Pagel, reducing their list of unsigned players to eight veterans, none of whom are scheduled to report to camp until Wednesday, when full-team workouts begin.
First, though, came Knox’s introductory speech, which he said would not be much different than the first one he gave 17 years ago as a rookie head coach before his first Ram team.
“It’ll be about the same,” Knox said. “I’ll tell them, for example, why coaches are here. The only reason coaches are in charge is to help make the players they’re responsible for just as successful as they can possibly be. That’s the only reason the manager or supervisor or anybody who is responsible for people has a job.
“It’s not going to be like a presidential nomination acceptance speech or anything like that, I don’t think it’s going to have that kind of historical significance, but nonetheless there’ll be some things we have to cover.
“You come into a new situation and it’s even more challenging. A new training camp, new coaching staff to a large degree, new players. I’m anxious to get out there and see how it’s been put together, see what the talent looks like.”
Ram Notes
Coach Chuck Knox didn’t sound thrilled with the logistics of the UC Irvine camp site--where the fields, the dining hall and the dorm rooms are all about a mile apart from each other. “I know this, you could get lost around here,” Knox said. “It’s like a maze, to go from here to the cafeteria, from here to the locker room. . . . Find your way back. it’s challenging.” . . . Seventeen veterans were instructed to attend the advance camp: defensive linemen Bill Hawkins, Robert Young, Vance Hammond and David Rocker; linebackers Roman Phifer, Frank Stams, Glenell Sanders, Terry Crews and Fred Strickland; cornerback Robert Bailey; offensive lineman Jeff Pahukoa; quarterback Mike Pagel; tight end Jim Price; and running backs Ernie Thompson, Derek Loville and David Lang.