MEQUON, Wis. — The first official day of training camp didn’t start off the way coach Scott Linehan would’ve preferred. Neither running back Steven Jackson nor wide receiver Donnie Avery attended the opening meetings or practice, officially making them holdouts.
Jay Zygmunt, the Rams’ president of football operations and general manager, reported after the 2-hour practice at Concordia University that Jackson had turned down an offer of a new, long-term contract that would’ve put him in the “top group” financially of NFL running backs. Zygmunt said he informed agent Eugene Parker that no further negotiations would take place until Jackson, entering the final season of his original five-year deal, reported to camp. Also, Jackson will be fined, Zygmunt added ($15,000 per day, per the NFL collective bargaining agreement).
Avery, a second-round draftee this past April, hadn’t come to contract terms. The only other player missing after most of the team arrived Thursday afternoon, wideout/returner Dante Hall, was at the meeting and practice.
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These players lined up with the No. 1 units Friday:
OFFENSE
Quarterback: Marc Bulger
Running back: Brian Leonard or Antonio Pittman
Wide receiver: Torry Holt and Drew Bennett
Tight ends: Randy McMichael and Joe Klopfenstein
Center: Brett Romberg
Right guard: Mark Setterstrom
Left guard: Jacob Bell
Right tackle: Alex Barron
Left tackle: Orlando Pace
DEFENSE
Tackle: Adam Carriker and La’Roi Glover
End: Leonard Little and Chris Long
Linebacker: Will Witherspoon (middle), Chris Draft (strongside) and Pisa Tinoisamoa (weakside)
Defensive back: Fakhir Brown and Tye Hill
Safety: Oshiomogho Atogwe (free) and Corey Chavous (strong)
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During his first two seasons with the Rams, Claude Wroten often sought advice from fellow defensive tackle La’Roi Glover, an NFL veteran and former Pro Bowler. Apparently Glover’s words didn’t sink in for Wroten, who earlier this week was suspended for a year for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy. Wroten apparently missed a drug test, appealed, then didn’t show up for his hearing.
“A bit disappointing,” Glover said Friday. “But adversity hits every ballclub. We got ours early. We’re going to worry about the guys that are here.”
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Many of the players are getting around campus on brand-new 21-speed Fuji bicycles, which makes for some interesting sights. As he wobbled to a stop in front of the dining hall, tight end Randy McMichael acknowledged that he’d “forgotten how to ride one of these things.”
Not wideout/returner Dante Hall, who was on foot at the time. “I like riding bikes,” he said. “I’m going to get one right now. So, can I go?”
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Just visiting: Former NFL general manager Charley Casserly, now working for CBS Sports; Molly Knight of ESPN the Magazine; Jay Glazer of Fox Sports.
Be sure to click here to see Chris Lee’s camp photos…
All for now. . . more Saturday, the first two-practice day.