Rams coach Jeff Fisher’s known for having tough, physical teams.
But in his first season in St. Louis, he’s spent a lot of time thinking about rest.
Two-a-days are a thing of the past league-wide, and Fisher said he’s concentrating on making sure his team takes recovery seriously.
“The philosophy’s this: These guys, when they report this week, they’ll be in the best shape of the year,” Fisher told Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “If you’re not careful you’ll do this,” moving his hand in a downward slope.
The Rams one padded practice will generally be in the afternoon, and with triple-digit temperatures in the forecast, that’s going to be tough. But Fisher talked about the importance of time between practices, and keeping his team fresh.
“We’ve designed it where they’ve got plenty of meals between practices, three meals between each practice,” he said. “It’s not like the old days where you practice at 9 [a.m.], practice at 3 [p.m.] and just have lunch in between.
“It’s about getting the work done; practicing real hard. It’ll be high-speed, a lot of work. When it’s a physical practice, you’ve got to practice smart. . . . But the emphasis is going to be on recovery. It’s all about getting ready for the opener.”
The Rams will get 22 practices in before the week of the opener, and teams used to get around 36 in during the same span.
So while players are staying fresher anyway, Fisher’s right to keep an eye on them early.