Rams' immediate to-do list includes getting players settled in L.A.

Rams’ immediate to-do list includes getting players settled in L.A.

Rams Coach Jeff Fisher speaks at the NFL scouting combine Wednesday in Indianapolis.

Staff Writer

Feb. 24, 2016 11:09 AM PT

REPORTING FROM INDIANAPOLIS — Los Angeles Rams players are finally about to see their new hometown.

Coach Jeff Fisher said Wednesday that he was looking forward to a March 4 team meeting in Southern California, where he and Rams administrators will provide players with information about a range of issues related to the franchise’s return to the Southland after more than two decades in St. Louis.

“It’s easier to answer one question once than it is 60 times,” Fisher said at the NFL scouting combine.

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Fisher is preparing for his fifth season as coach of a team that finished 7-9 last season. He acknowledged that it was still strange to be introduced as coach of the Los Angeles Rams.

“It’s an exciting time for us,” he said. “There’s a lot of work ahead, believe me. ... We have a lot of things to do.”

The Oxnard City Council on Tuesday approved the Rams’ spring use of a facility that the Dallas Cowboys use for training camp.

The Rams will hold off-season workouts in Oxnard in April, May and June, and they have spoken with UC Irvine, among others, about hosting training camp. The Rams also must secure a temporary practice facility for the season while they build a permanent one. They will play home games at the Coliseum for three seasons before moving into a new Inglewood stadium in 2019.

Those will be a few of Fisher’s agenda items at next week’s meeting, a gathering that required approval from the NFL and the NFL Players Assn.

The meeting will be held in Manhattan Beach, and players will receive information about facility scenarios, traffic patterns and recommendations about housing.

“If we’re going to put a temporary facility someplace up north,” Fisher said, “you don’t want to put yourself in Newport Beach where you have a 2 ½-hour commute every day.”

Fisher is familiar with challenges faced by teams on the move.

He was the Houston Oilers’ coach when the franchise moved to Tennessee before the 1997 season.

“I learned the most important thing is to put yourself in the players’ shoes,” he said.

Fisher is also in the midst of reassessing the Rams’ roster and preparing for free agency, off-season workouts and the draft.

He said that relocation responsibilities necessitated that he step away from serving on the NFL’s competition committee.

“The time that’s going to be required of me as far as this move is concerned makes it really difficult to commit to that 100%,” he said. “So, I look at it, hopefully, as a leave of absence.”

Later, when asked how much time he spent on the relocation, he replied jokingly.

“The only thing I’ve adjusted is sleep. I’m not sleeping,” he said.

Fisher and a contingent of about 65 Rams employees are at the combine to evaluate and interview players. The Rams have the 15th pick in the April draft.

Last week, the Rams released middle linebacker James Laurinaitis, defensive end Chris Long and tight end Jared Cook.

Alec Ogletree, a 2013 first-round pick, will move from outside linebacker to middle linebacker, Fisher said. Ogletree suffered a broken ankle against the Arizona Cardinals in October and was sidelined the rest of the season.

“It’s hard to find someone playing behind the ball who was more productive,” Fisher said of Ogletree. “I’ve had the conversation with him since the difficult time in releasing James, and Alec is really excited about moving inside.”

Fisher also announced that he had completed his coaching staff. In December, tight ends coach Rob Boras replaced fired offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti on an interim basis. Boras will keep the position.

“I was really pleased with what Rob Boras was able to do down the stretch,” Fisher said.

John Lilly, who coached last season at Georgia, will replace Boras as tight ends coach. The Rams previously announced Mike Groh’s hiring as passing game coordinator and receivers coach, and Skip Peete as running backs coach.

The Rams are scheduled to play the New York Giants in London on Oct. 23. Fisher said there was a chance the team would play a game on the East Coast before traveling to England.

But the immediate goal is getting players settled.

“Thirty-one other teams right now in the league are staying put, and they’re going through an off-season program,” Fisher said. “There’s stability there.

“And so it’s how quickly can we bring stability from a player perspective into this off-season program.”

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