By Nick Wagoner
Senior Writer

With a wink and a nod, Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo addressed his veterans on Wednesday about this weekend’s minicamp.

And the message he wanted to send to them and that he wanted passed from them to the incoming batch of 22 rookies was clear.

“I said let’s teach these guys how we practice,” Spagnuolo said. “I want them going fast. They have to learn it, this league plays fast.”

Such was the blistering pace of the team’s first minicamp held back in early April. At that camp, players marveled over the speed and tempo of each practice, taking note that Spagnuolo wanted everything done at warp speed but with precision and accuracy.

That approach is an easier adjustment for the players attending that camp because those players were all veterans, guys who have been through fast-paced workouts before.

When the Rams kick off their second minicamp of the Spagnuolo era, things will have to change a little bit. That’s because the seven members of the team’s draft class and the 15 undrafted free agents signed by the club will be asked to integrate with the veteran Rams.

It’s a task that won’t be easy for any of the youngsters, regardless of if its top pick Jason Smith or undrafted free agent receiver Jarrett Byers from tiny Northeast Oklahoma State.

But Spagnuolo wants to toss his rookies into the mix immediately and see how they respond.

“It will be a little bit of a different dynamic for them,” Spagnuolo said. “They will be thrown right in the fire and that’s not such a bad thing. Our vets will embrace them. I told them just yesterday as they broke for their lifting periods to embrace these guys and teach them the Rams way. Hopefully the guys that are here now understand how we want to do things practice wise and we just need to coach up the rookies and do it the same.”

While the rookie will be getting a trial by fire as they adjust to the speed and tempo of the NFL, the veterans will actually be slowing down and catching their breath a bit.

Under normal circumstances, a team is allowed a rookie/young veteran minicamp and a full squad minicamp. When a team gets a new coaching staff, the process is expanded.

Teams with new coaches are allowed two additional minicamps and they can run those minicamps under any format they choose.

For instance, the Rams have already held one of the additional minicamps they are allowed and this week Spagnuolo opted to expand the traditional rookie minicamp into one that allows everyone to participate.

That means the rookies will have to do the best they can to catch up to the veterans while the coaches take a small step back and slow it down just a bit so the rookies have a puncher’s chance.

“This will be a combination,” Spagnuolo said. “It really is truly to continue to try to advance the vets because we have the extra opportunity I think we should take advantage of them. And to evaluate the rookies. It’s a combination of both of them. It’s ongoing at the same time. Of course you get concerned about can the rookies get enough reps while the veterans are here so we will have to weigh all of that out. Hopefully by the end of it, we will have a good idea on the rookies and what we have going forward and we’ll have advanced offensively and defensively scheme wise with the vets. It’s not a bad thing to go back and repeat some of the things we did in the first minicamp. The structure of the camp will be exactly the way it was in the first one.”

The participation level will also remain pretty much the same. In terms of injuries, the Rams are relatively healthy once again.

Receiver Derek Stanley will not participate during the weekend as he continues to rehabilitate from knee surgery in December.

Cornerback Justin King, who had foot surgery last season, will participate but Spagnuolo said a close eye will be kept on him so as not to push it too far. Safety Craig Dahl has dealt with injuries to both knees and will likely be limited for the second practice of each day.

Aside from that, Spagnuolo says he expects everyone else in and ready to go.

As far as personnel movement and shifting, Spagnuolo did acknowledge that Smith would start out at right tackle with Alex Barron working on the left side.

“We will start him out at right tackle,” Spagnuolo said. “We think Alex has been doing a good job over there. Now, the way we begin is not always the way it kind of unwinds but I think it will be kind of a more natural progression for him. He has played both, Alex has played both so it gives you a little bit of versatility so I think that will be the comfort level of the staff going into it.”

The potential slow down of the camp for rookies such as Smith won’t be major, however. Spagnuolo believes you can learn a lot about the youngsters by putting them in the middle of the action right away.

On Wednesday, Spagnuolo recalled a linebacker from Philadelphia named Omar Gaither, who was a fifth-round pick of the Eagles in 2006, coming into camp and rising to the level of the competition.

Gaither has gone on to become a starter and productive player for the Eagles since then.

“You can find out a lot about them that way,” Spagnuolo said.

Unlike the first minicamp which was designed for Spagnuolo and his staff to simply just get a look at the players on a football field; this one is more aimed toward continuing to build knowledge of the scheme and the continued effort to assemble team chemistry.

And it’s really the first time that Spagnuolo and Co. will get an idea of what the 2009 version of the St. Louis Rams will look like. After a hectic first four months on the job, that’s a welcome benchmark for the new head coach.

“Unless something really dramatic happens between now and training camp or the opening game against Seattle, this is the team,” Spagnuolo said. “Unless something really strange happens, the team will come from these 87 players. Ninety-five percent of the team will come from this so that is exciting.”