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8 takeaways from episode two of Hard Knocks

Published Nov. 15, 2016 2:27 p.m. ET

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Pete Blackburn

Episode two of Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Los Angeles Rams aired Tuesday night on HBO, giving fans an inside look at the Rams' first preseason game and the events leading up to it.

While nobody was cut for bringing a woman back to their room this week, there were still plenty of talking points from this latest episode. Here are some of the takeaways:

Say no to dinosaurs, say yes to mermaids

William Hayes made headlines last season when it was revealed that he doesn't believe dinosaurs ever existed. That's a pretty hot take, but he's sticking to it, as several minutes of this week's episode were dedicated to the defensive end and his wild theories.

“I just think it’s some [expletive], to be completely honest with you," said Hayes "I just can’t fathom a T-Rex walking around here. That’s something a man ain’t never seen.”

Despite his anti-dinosaur stance, his stall in the locker room proudly displays a healthy variety of the animals, which is pretty hilarious. Also, in addition to being a dinosaur truther, Hayes believes that mermaids are real and was excited to move to Los Angeles because of the prospect of being closer to them. He's a strange guy, and he needs infinitely more screen time.

Dumb & dumber

With the Rams already super thin at wide receiver, a couple of wideouts -- Kenny Britt and Brian Quick -- rolled a dune buggy while speeding through the campus of UC Irvine. It was hilarious to see and Jeff Fisher had some fun with it, calling the two "dumb & dumber" in the middle of a team meeting, but he was very adamant that his players should proceed cautiously with their means of transportation throughout camp.

Fast feet, fast mouth

A good portion of this week's episode was spent on Tavon Austin, the Rams' star wide receiver who might run his mouth faster than he moves his feet...and that's saying something. There was no more coverage of his Pokémon Go pursuits, but they focused on his healthy trash talk game and infectious personality. It was time well spent. He also owns some Roger Goodell socks, for some reason.

Robots!

The Rams brought in some remote-controlled robot dummies for practice, which created for a pretty bizarre scene. The moving dummies can be used for QB target practice as well as tackling and blocking drills, but the most entertaining part of their time on screen was when some of the guys used them to prank unsuspecting teammates.

Eric Kush is a strange guy

That much was pretty much confirmed last week when he spent 15 minutes showing off every sleeveless shirt that he owned, but it was further solidified in episode two. He once again revisited his passionate love affair with tank tops, as he and some teammates rocked matching American flag tanks for "Fat Arm Fridays," which is definitely a thing that I'm stealing from now on. Also, Kush lost his helmet during the team's first preseason game and it was riveting. That guy is a lovable weirdo.

Jeff Fisher takes the National Anthem very, very seriously

The Rams coach literally gave a seminar on how to listen and stand during the national anthem. He even used film to hammer home his instructions.

Catherine Pena with the dagger

T.J. McDonald's girlfriend dropped a line that likely made any St. Louis fans angrily shut off their TVs when she said "this is more fans than St. Louis could probably ever have” at the first preseason game. What a knife in the back.

Spruuuuuuuuuuce

Rams wideout Nelson Spruce got the most shine in terms of actual football performance, as he put together a solid game with six catches and a touchdown. He was a key factor late in the Rams' come-from-behind victory over the Cowboys and got showered with love from teammates and fans. Jon Gruden even called him his sleeper pick and, at one point, "the best Ram player on the field." Spruce has since hurt his knee and will miss a few weeks, but he made a strong initial impression.

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