The Rams move is going to be an odyssey
Im not saying the Rams have a built-in excuse to struggle in 2016, but
Well, come to think of it, maybe I am.
On Friday, in Los Angeles, the Rams braintrust and human resources people will gather players in a hotel ballroom to explain whats about to happen logistically with the teams move to California. I say California, because the Rams are moving to four places this year:
To Oxnard, 61 miles up the 101 from Los Angeles, for off-season minicamps and training.
Then from Oxnard to Irvine, 105 miles south, for summer training camp. (Its likely the
team will have training camp at UC-Irvine.)
Then from Irvine to Thousand Oaks, 84 miles north, for their in-season practice facility and offices, beginning in late August and running through the season. (The Thousand Oaks details are being finalized.)
Then, on game days, from Thousands Oaks to the Coliseum in Los Angeles, 43 miles southeast.
And one more thing: The Rams will play a home game in London on Oct. 23 against the Giants. Thats a nice little commute of 5,437 miles, each way.
Thirty-one other teams in the league right now are staying put, and theyre going through an offseason program and there is stability there, Rams GM Les Snead said at the combine. Its how quickly can we bring stability, from a player perspective, into this offseason program? Because were going to kick the season off like everyone else.
Other notes about the move: The Rams cant stay in Oxnard for training camp, though it would have been perfect, because the Cowboys have a contract for the site
The Rams would like to entice Orange County fans back to the fan base; the last time the Rams played in Southern California was in 1994, in Anaheim, in Orange County
The schedule at the Coliseum will be interesting from a couple perspectives. Dont expect the team to play at the Coliseum on back-to-back days with University of Southern California football, and dont expect Rams games to be scheduled at the Coliseum on weeknights while school is in session at nearby USC. Because of that, its likely the Rams will open the season on the road, because USC is home to Utah State on Saturday Sept. 10, and the opening Sunday of the season is Sept. 11
The Rams will have a tough time playing home prime-time games then, because USC finals in fall semester dont end until Dec. 14. That would leave just three weeks to play Thursday or Monday night at home at the storied Coliseum. Of course, well see if the prime-time thing becomes a hard-and-fast rule or a suggested practice. Could be the league or the team will appeal to the Coliseum to play one prime-time game earlier in the season.
Can you imagine, too, if in midseason the Chargers attempt to get a new stadium in San Diego falls through, and its announced the Chargers will be moving north to Los Angeles for 2017 and beyond? Theres another layer of distraction for the Rams. (And, by the way, I still havent heard one person, in the L.A. area or outside of it, who thinks a Chargers move to Los Angeles is a good idea. Because it isnt.)
After hearing all the details and potential difficulties about this first season of the team in Southern California, two thoughts came to mind: The Rams havent finished above .500 in 13 years, have a revolving door at quarterback with no obvious starter now, and are in a division with two legitimate Super Bowl contenders, Arizona and Seattle; how can they expect to be a serious contender for the playoffs this season? And how endangered is Jeff Fishers job if he is sub-.500 for the fifth straight season, even with the logistical nightmare? In many ways, its a huge year for the Rams, and it cant be a honeymoon.