Throughout training camp, team insider Myles Simmons will share his top observations from each practice.
1) Pads.
The Rams went through their first padded practice of the year on Sunday afternoon, which brought up the energy for the fourth consecutive day of practice. Football season always starts to actually feel like it's approaching when you can hear the sound of pads popping on the field.
2) During the individual portion of practice, wide receiver Robert Woods made a nice catch on the left sideline on a pass from quarterback Jared Goff. It was one of those plays where the catch was made against air, so take it with a grain of salt. But it was still a nice display of Woods' soft hands and athleticism.
Check out the top photos from Day 4 of 2018 Rams Training Camp at UC Irvine.
3) After individual drills, Los Angeles moved on to half-field drills with the offense and defense going against one another. The first play was a 4-on-3 scenario, with Goff hitting running back Todd Gurley deep down the seam with what would've been a touchdown pass.
4) Los Angeles had the starting defense up first in 11-on-11 drills and safety John Johnson had the first pad-popping hit of camp. The safety came up and had a nice thud on running back Justin Davis to stuff a run.
5) Safety Isaiah Johnson also had a nice thud early on in team drills. He came up to hit tight end Gerald Everett, who caught a pass in the flat from quarterback Brandon Allen off of play action. Johnson was right there to make a play for what would've been a tackle for loss.
6) Cory Littleton appears to be developing well into his role of middle linebacker and defensive signal-caller. He crashed down hard inside to hit an inside blocking tight end during 11-on-11 drills, disrupting a run. And a few plays later, he set the edge well on the defense's right, forcing an end around to cut back inside where another defensive player was waiting for a thud.
7) Later in practice, Everett made an outstanding catch in the end zone for a touchdown. The tight end went up over a defensive player to make the catch at the front corner of the end zone, using his strong hands to pull the ball in. He secured the ball, maintaining possession as he also got two feet in for a touchdown. The pass came from Allen.
8) During a two-minute drill, cornerback Marcus Peters nearly intercepted Goff in a ones-vs-ones situation. With Goff facing some pressure while releasing a pass, Peters jumped a route, got his hands on the ball at a high point, but couldn't reel it in as he came back to the ground. As head coach Sean McVay often says, Peters is certainly someone whose presence the offense can feel on a play-to-play basis.
9) Goff, however, did connect with wide receiver Cooper Kupp on a pass in the middle of the field to end that segment of practice. Goff did well to step up in the pocket and hit Kupp coming out of his break on his route over the middle. The way the field was set up at the time, the play likely would've ended as a touchdown.
10) Finally, cornerback Kevin Peterson — now sporting No. 25 — made a pair of strong plays, one of which came at the end of practice. Earlier in the session, he nearly intercepted Allen on a pass in 11-on-11. He had nice coverage on his receiver on the defense's right, leapt, and got his hands on the ball. He just couldn't reel it in.
He got his interception later, though, making a pick six to end a period. Peterson undercut a route, made the pick on the defense's left sideline, and had no one in his path on the way to the end zone. It was a nice practice for the Oklahoma State product who intercepted a pair of passes in Week 17 last year.
