By Nick Wagoner
Senior Writer

For the first time since Jan. 17 when he was hired as the Rams head coach, all was right with Steve Spagnuolo’s world on Thursday afternoon.

At approximately 10:37 a.m., Spagnuolo, the coaching staff and the players took to the practice fields at the Russell Training Center to commence the start of the first on field activities of the Spagnuolo era.

After more than two months of interviewing prospective assistants, scouting potential draft picks and courting free agents, Spagnuolo finally felt like a football coach again. Not that he’s had the opportunity to sit down and think about it.

“I was happy with the way it went,” Spagnuolo said. “I thought the guys picked up what we wanted to do. You don’t know if what you say and do in the building is going to transfer to the field but I thought it did.”

The Rams went through a brisk morning practice that lasted until about 12:16 p.m. That’s right, not 12:20, not 12:15 but 12:16.

That’s the kind of attention to detail and tempo that Spagnuolo says he likes to see from his team and hopes will be the foundation for what type of team the Rams are to become.

“What we are trying to do is make our practices efficient, up tempo, we would like to not condition after practice, we would like to condition in the practice,” Spagnuolo said. “I thought they did a really good job of that today for the first day.”

The dedication to tempo and speed was evident from the consensus among players when both practices were complete.  In the open portion of practice, the players were put through the drills at a high rate of speed and asked to sprint from one drill to the other.

Running back Steven Jackson said the change was noticeable but not overwhelming.

“The first minicamp is always a little quicker but you could definitely feel the tempo, the change of the team, the aggressiveness of the defense now and the timing of the offense,” Jackson said. “It looks to be exciting. We have a lot to learn still and it’s good to start off this way.”

Aside from the speed of things happening on the field, the players also face the task of carrying their vast new playbooks from the classroom on to the field.

That’s a task that can be overwhelming, particularly for young players who haven’t developed the study habits of some of their veteran brethren but it’s also nothing compared to some of the voluminous playbooks of recent vintage.

“As you know, last year we had a heck of an offense that was really hard,” receiver Donnie Avery said. “This year, we kind of toned it down a little bit without all of the motions and stuff so we are just lining up and playing.”

There were 64 signed players on the roster in attendance (with five in for tryout) and all participated in at least some capacity in both workouts with the exception of receiver Derek Stanley.

Stanley suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in December and is still rehabilitating from that injury. He spent the day working with strength and conditioning coach Rock Gullickson.

Aside from that, the rest of the group was relatively healthy with just a few players limited by previous injuries.

“We are in good shape,” Spagnuolo said. “I believe we have got everybody here who is on the roster.”

Included in the group participating are three players who technically aren’t under contract with the team. Guard Richie Incognito and defensive end Victor Adeyanju are restricted free agents and have been tendered for next season.

Safety Oshiomogho Atogwe received the franchise tag and is playing without having signed the tender.

Spagnuolo said he’s happy those guys are participating even without signed long term deals.

“It says a great deal,” Spagnuolo said. “It says a lot about the character of the person. I have already conveyed that to those guys. I think it’s a great thing.”

The Rams will convene again bright and early Friday morning for another day full of meetings and two practices before closing up the minicamp with a single workout on Friday.

With day one of the Rams’ first minicamp in the books after a blistering pace, Spagnuolo  had little time to reflect. That could come late this evening, though.

“The day goes so quick I really haven’t thought much about that,” Spagnuolo said. “I’m too busy worrying about if things are on time, getting people in the right spots. Maybe tonight when I am lying down I will think about it.”