Ah, the memories… (New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and then Indianapolis Colts center Jeff Saturday.)

Hard to believe this was one year ago to the day. The owners and the NFLPA finally get the CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement) done and we got football back for the 2011 season.

Since then, center Jeff Saturday has left Indianapolis and is now a Packer (weird). His former quarterback Peyton Manning is now a Bronco (more weird) and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft helped his aspiring actress gal pal audition for a part in a movie (ultimate weirdness… And no, I will not post the link to that bizarre video. You can Google it.) Oh, how times have changed.

I’ve also gone through some changes and have been away for the off season. Now I’m back with new priorities along with some new perspective gained over the summer. But that’s for another post.

Now let’s get down to the business at hand – Rams talk.

1) Rookies begin their quest to make the Rams 53-man roster today. The Rams will start out with two less rookies on their roster. OL Michael Hay was cut and CB Jeremy Caldwell decided not to play football according to Jim Thomas. Both players were undrafted rookie free agents. No word has surfaced yet regarding Caldwell. I thought he looked decent during OTA’s and with what the Rams went through at cornerbacks last season he might have had a good chance. If anything he could gained some experience and knowledge from Cortland Finnegan.

2) Veterans are scheduled to report to camp on Saturday, July 28. And the first official whole team practice will be Sunday, July 29. This practice is open to the public at 3:30 p.m. Here’s a link to the entire schedule for future reference. Jim Thomas also tweeted that TE Mike Hoomanawanui will be joining the rookies early to get himself acclimated. Big Mike sat out most of OTA’s. He will have an uphill battle going up against the other fully healthy and job hungry TE’s on the roster.

3) You’d think the Rams were following in the footsteps of Bill Belichick and the Patriots. They are overflowing with tight ends: Brody Eldridge, who was acquired from waivers via Indianapolis May 19. Unfortunately, Eldridge will miss the first four games of the season for violating the league’s performance-enhancing substance policy. Lance Kendricks (second year), Matthew Mulligan (fourth year), Mike McNeil (second year), Deangelo Peterson (rookie), Cory Harkey (rookie) and Jamie Childers (rookie). Keep a close eye on Deangelo Peterson to stand out from the crowd.

4) One name we didn’t hear much of who could have a big impact is center Scott Wells. I saw him once on the field for an entire practice then he disappeared the rest of OTA’s. Coach Fisher repeated said Wells had been given an “excused absence.” In other words, “He’s injured and is taking time off.” It was revealed later on that Wells was dealing with a knee “injury issue.” We can only hope he shows up to training camp 100% healthy. He’s gonna need the bonding time with his new QB Sam Bradford.

5) We all make mistakes. Yes, second year DE and 2012 breakout player of the year hopeful Robert Quinn was charged with a DUI in Florissant, MO in early July. I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and hope that he has learned from his blunder. He needs to focus on football now. If he makes the same mistake twice then we will have an issue. Let’s hope we don’t cross that bridge. Public service announcement to all professional athletes and public in general: Call a cab.

That’s it for now. It was good to get this first return from hiatus post under my belt. Let’s continue this little chat tomorrow. Still lots more to cover!

As always, thanks for reading folks.