The Rams make their Hollywood debut on ‘Hard Knocks’
Coach Jeff Fisher enjoys fly-fishing in Montana, quarterback Jared Goff doesn’t know the sun rises in the East and sets in the West, receiver Tavon Austin plays Pokemon Go and Deon Long, a rookie receiver, was cut for breaking team rules.
“Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Los Angeles Rams” premiered Tuesday night and it was everything a journalist who covers the team feared it would be: A behind-the-scenes look, rarely afforded to reporters, that revealed conversations, decisions and personality quirks that sometimes never come to light.
To start, Fisher has two rules for training camp. The first rule is to be on time and the second rule, no guests allowed in your dorm room.
“We are coming back to camp for the next two years here and you don’t want to come back to camp and have a three-month-old watching you at practice,” Fisher said to a chuckling meeting room.
Long, according to Fisher, broke rule No. 2 and Fisher didn’t hesitate to release him.
Goff, who apparently knows nothing about the sun and has an affinity for Taylor Swift, received much of the focus in the episode.
In the meeting room he received a tough-love talk from quarterbacks coach Chris Weinke.
“Everybody is watching what you [expletive] do and you can’t hide. It ought to give you chills,” Weinke said.
Coaches noted that the former California quarterback has never called plays in a huddle, but by the end of the hour-long episode, players and coaches commented, to the eavesdropping microphones, about Goff’s potential after he completed several throws, a few for touchdowns.
Goff is “threading the needle,” said one teammate. “That is a hell of a pass,” said a coach.
Remember the day Austin was carted off the field because of cramping? Fisher said at the time Austin hadn’t eaten lunch.
It was revealed that Austin had in fact eaten two bananas.
Fisher wasn’t happy.
“Hard Knocks” cameras even made their way inside the hospital room after Alex Ogletree, the wife of linebacker Alec Ogletree, gave birth to son Austin Jonathan.
Among the Hollywood cameos were Lakers Coach Luke Walton and rappers Kendrick Lamar and Schoolboy Q. The show also displayed iconic scenes from Muscle Beach in Venice and the Wedge at Newport Beach.
And finally, we learned, defensive lineman Eugene Sims is really bad at ping pong.
Follow Lindsey Thiry on Facebook and Twitter @LindseyThiry
Get our high school sports newsletter
Prep Rally is devoted to the SoCal high school sports experience, bringing you scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
