The Rams were supposed to break training camp and head to their new facility in Woodland Hills.
Not so fast.
The Rams are returning to Cal Lutheran in Thousand Oaks because the Woodland Hills site is not ready, coach Sean McVay said Saturday.
“The most important thing was making sure that when we do move into Woodland Hills, our players have everything that they need so that it doesn’t take away from our preparation,” McVay said after the final training-camp practice at Loyola Marymount, adding, “As long as we got the film and the guys have everything that they need, that’s all we really care about as coaches.”
On Sunday, the Rams are scheduled to have a joint practice with the Chargers at their new facility in El Segundo.
Plans to begin practicing in Woodland Hills next week were scrapped because the Rams are still awaiting permits that will probably be in place in five or six days, Rams president Kevin Demoff said.
But with the Rams scheduled to have joint practices with the Dallas Cowboys, another one with the Chargers and another before the final preseason game against the Texans, the team is now scheduled to move to Woodland Hills after the game against the Texans on Aug. 24.
“It’s as much whether it’s ready versus when it’s optimal for the team to move,” Demoff said, adding, “We just made the decision that was least disruptive to the team.”
The change of venue could be a distraction for a Rams team that is expected to build on last season’s better-than-anticipated 10-7 record and playoff appearance.
The Rams will move from Loyola Marymount to Cal Lutheran to Woodland Hills as they prepare for a Sept. 8 opener at Detroit.
“It’s as big a deal as we make it,” McVay said, adding, “I don’t worry about it. … I don’t anticipate it being anything that will affect us.”
In Cal Lutheran, the Rams are going back to what was supposed to be a temporary situation after they moved back to Southern California from St. Louis in 2016.
In the near-decade since, they have thrived, making two Super Bowl appearances and winning one, despite operating out of the 53,000-square-foot facility that resembles a trailer park with 75 modular buildings and two fields.
Those fields have been maintained, Demoff said. Arsenal practiced there before matches in Southern California last week.
Etc.
Starting right tackle Rob Havenstein is sidelined because of an ankle injury suffered on Thursday and is week-to-week, McVay said, similar to starting left guard Jonah Jackson (shoulder). Left tackle Alaric Jackson (ankle) also will not participate in the practice with the Chargers. … Defensive lineman Desjaun Johnson returned an interception for a touchdown.
