Thursday marked the last day of training camp at UC Irvine this summer. Thanks for following along with all our the installments of the 10 observations series.
1) The Rams were not in pads for the final day of camp at UC Irvine. They began the session with a walk-thru for special teams, followed by offense and defensive walk-thrus on separate fields. Head coach Sean McVay then brought the whole team together after stretching and sent the players out to individual drills, likely encouraging the club to finish strong.
2) Early on during 11-on-11 drills, wide receiver Robert Woods made a terrific one-handed catch along the right sideline. With cornerback Aqib Talib covering him, Woods stuck out his left arm, brought the ball into his body, then got both feet in on the sideline before falling out of bounds. Talib applauded the catch, as cornerbacks coach Aubrey Pleasant and assistant head coach/linebackers coach Joe Barry ran up and shook Wood's hand to congratulate him.
Check out the top shots from the last day of 2018 Rams Training Camp in UC Irvine.
3) Rookie running back John Kelly has continued to stand out, making a nice run to the right with the second-team offense. He cut through the hole, then turned up his speed as he raced toward the right sideline. With running back Justin Davis nursing a hamstring injury, Kelly seems poised to play significant snaps on Saturday against Oakland.
4) The Rams went up tempo for a third-down period in 7-on-7 drills. The offense would run a play then go right back up to the line for another snap. With the first-team offense and defense going against one another, quarterback Jared Goff connected with Woods on the right side toward the sideline. The throw was in the right spot to beat Cover 2, with No. 17 making the catch right between the second and third levels of the defense.
5) Los Angeles moved the 7-on-7 period from the middle of the field to the red zone, and that's where Tyler Higbee made consecutive touchdown receptions. The first came in the middle of the end zone against double coverage — Goff threw the pass high where Higbee could get his arms extended and make the completion. The second came on an out route in the end zone — Higbee shook off his defender and secured the pass for a scoring strike.
6) Kelly continued to impress in the 7-on-7 period, making a touchdown catch out of the backfield. With Sean Mannion at quarterback, Kelly caught a pass in the flat on the right side, then used his speed to get into the end zone. He extended the ball in celebration.
7) Los Angeles then ostensibly used an 11-on-11 period for players who are more likely to get time in Saturday's game versus the Raiders. Late in the period, quarterback Brandon Allen made a nice throw to wide receiver Fred Brown on the left side of the field. Allen hit Brown in stride on an out route, allowing the receiver to continue on his path.
8) In that same period, Mannion and wide receiver Pharoh Cooper connected for a pair of solid plays. On the first, Cooper stretched to his right to make a catch on the right sideline after a quick out. A couple of plays later, a similar situation occurred with Cooper again stretching to make a completion.
9) Late in practice, running back Nick Holley caught a nice wheel route down the right sideline. An undrafted free agent out of Kent State, Holley has seemed to make the most out of his opportunities when he's been able to get on the field. He'll likely see playing time against Oakland as well.
10) Quarterback Luis Perez threw that pass to Holley and lit up the final period of practice with a string of nice throws. He connected with Brown down the seam, then with wideout Kendal Thompson on a short play to the left. McVay moved the drill up to the red zone and Perez excelled there, too, delivering a solid throw to Thompson in the back-left corner of the end zone. Thompson dragged his toes to secure the catch.
McVay had Perez break the huddle to end camp after the period.