The Rams yesterday began three days of training camp with the Cowboys in Oxnard, Calif., and the setting was "surreal and almost certainly unreal," as Rams players stepped off the bus "to a standing ovation from fans," according to Jim Thomas of the ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH. There were "7,739 fans present" for yesterday’s session, or "nearly 5,400 more than attended Sunday’s Cowboys-only practice session." There were "at least as many Rams fans present Monday as Cowboys fans, if not more." Rams TE Jared Cook said, "They told us there were going to be a lot. But I wasn’t really expecting that many." Inglewood Mayor James Butts, who was in attendance yesterday, said the throng of L.A. Rams fans at the practice “sends a huge message to the Rams’ popularity here in Southern California." Meanwhile, Thomas notes "all the land has been cleared" in Inglewood for Rams Owner Stan Kroenke's 292-acre site for a proposed stadium and mixed-use development. Butts said that construction on Kroenke’s proposed stadium "can begin 'in 118 days'" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 8/18). In L.A., Sam Farmer notes there were "2,800 people in the bleachers where the Rams fans were sitting." Former Rams players Jim Everett and Vince Ferragamo "were among the VIP guests of the team" (L.A. TIMES, 8/18). Also in L.A., Vincent Bonsignore notes a "band of formerly broken-hearted" L.A. Rams fans "came by the thousands" to Oxnard. They "delivered one more emphatic dispatch to the powers that will eventually decide" if the Rams can return to the area. The Rams "absolutely know the love for them runs deep" in the region. This gives Kroenke a "chance to bend the ear of one of his staunchest L.A. supporters," Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones (L.A. DAILY NEWS, 8/18).
ME AND MR. JONES: The AP's Greg Beacham noted Kroenke watched practice with Jones "from the observation tower between the practice fields." Kroenke "rarely attends camp in Missouri," and Jones "realizes the Rams matter greatly in L.A. and beyond." Jones: "What I do think is (the Rams) have such a traditional visibility and a traditional following here in Southern California. And that's the main positive that they have -- and that they've got a great owner and they've got a great franchise. It's a good thing for the NFL to have these teams that have the qualifications they have to think about this Los Angeles market" (AP, 8/17). Jones said, "I’m a real fan of Stan Kroenke, and I’m really a fan of Los Angeles and having the NFL have a major posture relative to the sports scene in Los Angeles.” When asked if St. Louis deserves to lose a team, Jones responded, "The main thing is Los Angeles needs the very best team that we can put in Los Angeles. So that’s the big issue. ... I’m also a fan of St. Louis. But the two aren’t necessarily one without the other" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 8/18).
