You
know, the guys up front. On the Rams, the guys up front are the old guys.
If the
Rams want Tavon Austin, Jared Cook and Co. to flash their moves, Bradford will
need time to get them the ball. While much has been made of the team's influx
of game-changers at the skill positions, the Rams did not ignore the offensive
line by signing four-time Pro Bowl lineman Jake Long, 28, to play left tackle.
He
will be joined on the line by a couple of 32-year-old graybeards, center Scott
Wells and guard right Harvey Dahl, along with right tackle Rodger Saffold, 25,
and a to-be-determined right guard.
"They've
made the offensive line a focus by bringing in Jake and showing that's an
emphasis that it's important for us to keep Sam upright," Wells said after the
team's workout Saturday evening. "He's got all the tools in the world if we can
keep him on his feet."
Wells
hopes to pick up where he left off. He enters camp feeling "the best I've felt
in a couple of years" after spending the offseason going back and forth
between his home outside Nashville and Rams Park.
Wells
also enters camp after a far more normal offseason than in 2012. Wells and his
wife, Julie, spent a month in Uganda last year, adopting three children to go
with their three at home. This offseason, the only addition to the Wells clan
was a third dog.
"Everybody
is doing great," Wells said.
"I've been blessed with an understanding wife," he said. "Doing this as long as
I have, being in my 10th year, she understands I need my rest to be
successful on the field."
To
that end, Wells even was able to take advantage of a long lunch break Saturday to
go home and take in a siesta before the late-afternoon practice.
In
his rookie season with Green Bay in 2004, being able to go home for a nap
during training camp would have been as likely as a practice without
perspiring. But times have changed around the NFL, where contact is limited and
two-a-days are history.
While
the Rams still put in 12-hour days during camp, only a couple of those are put
in on the field. Much of their day is spent in the weight room, the training
room and meetings. "The first portion of the day is a lot of going over what
you're going to do in practice," Wells said. "The walk-through is a rehearsal,
then you come out here and perform the practice."
The first workout in which all
the Rams practice in pads will be Monday. Nobody
seems to mind much, either.
"I
like the current schedule," Wells said. "Player safety is a key focus. It's all
about finding that balance between player safety and getting in everything you
need to get in to be prepared for the season. Right now, it's a good balance.
"Those
two-a-days in pads were brutal."
For
the young and the old.
You can follow Stan
McNeal on Twitter at @stanmcneal or email him at stanmcneal@gmail.com.
